


A new life in the valley

by Celestial_Mage



Series: Melissa & Harvey [1]
Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Bisexual Character, Developing Relationship, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, LGBTQ, Light Angst, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Rated explicit for later content, Romance, Slow Burn, Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-16 02:22:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 41,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28574460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Celestial_Mage/pseuds/Celestial_Mage
Summary: One day Melissa remembers the letter her grandfather gave to her on his deathbed and she is so ready to receive his gift.
Relationships: Abigail/Female Player (Stardew Valley), Harvey endgame tho, Harvey/Female Player (Stardew Valley), Harvey/Player (Stardew Valley)
Series: Melissa & Harvey [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2168127
Comments: 34
Kudos: 36





	1. Rainbow farm

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys,  
> I really wanted to make my own version of a stardew valley fic.  
> I just love all of the characters so much, but Harvey?! He's just the best if you ask me.  
> I'm not an experienced writer and english is not my first language, so please be kind :)  
> If you find any mistakes feel free to tell me!
> 
> Always happy about feedback as well and I hope you enjoy ^///^
> 
> BTW if you're here for the sexy stuff only (no shame! I get that xD) - it starts with chapter 19.  
> There are some good moments througout the story as well, but there it starts for real.
> 
> (Update) I made a playlist for this fic with all the songs I chose for the chapters and some more. Hope you like it :)  
> [Harvey SV Fic Playlist](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5qbMAbsSOXNTf8NQ7IsXSc?si=4CrbfUDxRaiGe8SE9J2CWQ)

Melissa stared at her desktop with an empty gaze. Her eyes almost falling shut. 'No, no, you can't fall asleep now!' she told herself. It hadn't been too lang ago that she was called to her superior's bureau and got yelled at for a mistake she made. Next time would have meant consequences, less money that is. She already just kept her head above water, working 10 hour shifts at Joja customer services with hundreds of other perople, she didn't even know the name of one of them.

She felt so empty, her work doing nothing for anyone except the owners of Joja, she being replaced within a few days if she got fired, no special skills needed. Day in day out working at that desk, no windows, just artificial lights. But she had no other options.

Since her grandpa got sick, she had to start working somewhere immediately after Highschool. She wanted to study, but her family couldn't afford it. Her mother had to work less hours to take care of gramps and with her dad's low income they just could not make it. The thought of it brought tears to her eyes. She loved her grandfather so much. He died like 12 years ago or so. She shrugged, she totally forgot about that envelope he gave her on his deathbed. She had it placed at her workplace a few years ago, when she had a phase she thought she couldn't do it anymore.

She pulled open a drawer and fumbled the seal open.

"Dear Lissa,

if you are reading this, you must be in dire need of a change.

The same thing happened to me long ago. I'd lost sight of what mattered most in life..."

Her eyes went wide by reading on... Grandpa gave _her_ his farm!

When the whole family was gathered as his testament was being read out, everyone was wondering what would happen to the farm. Everyone wanted to get it, with different plans about what to do with this big piece of land. How to get the most money out of it. Mellisas father, the only one who was willing to take grandpa in and take care of him, was the only one who didn't seem to care. He was just tired and sad, and he hated his siblings for their greed. But none of them got the farm, no one knew what happened to it. The lawyer just said that it had been taken care of. Everyone got an equal amount of money, and some personal things were given to the people that visited him at the hospital on his last days, including Melissa. She got that letter and did not know how to feel about it. Gramps told her not to open it right away, that she would know when the time had come. But it wasn't important at the time, because she was saying her goodbyes to a person she loved so dearly.

The letter in hand she slammed her drawer shut, pressed the power button on her computer without saving anything and strutted out of her booth. Her superior ran out of his bureau screaming at her, but she just turned over, smiling like a mad person and pulling her middle finger into the air. His mouth fell open and his head turned alomst a purple colour when she made her way out of this shithole.

***

Rubbing her eyes Melissa glimpsed at the sun. It seemed she finally slept for a few hours. She started this journey with mixed feelings and a lot of fear. So she sat in the bus, staring out of the window into the night sky for hours. It was a long ride to Pelican town, she knew that but it felt so much longer not knowing what would await her. She had a crippling anxiety that started to drain her, thoughts going in circles that never stopped. But she had nothing to lose, so she made up her mind to try and live on that farm, despite everything. She had a little amount of savings on her bank account from the money she got when her granpa passed away, since she never had free time to spend it anyway. She could survive around 4 months without starving. And if she couldn't get the farm back running or a job in the valley, there was always the option to sell the land. But her stomach ached at the thought, so many memories were tied to the farm her grandfather always called “Rainbow Farm” when she was a kid.

When the bus finally reached Pelican town, Melissa was totally wrecked. Her stomach upset because of her nerves, tired to the core and she felt disgusting and just wanted to take a shower. She left the bus, taking up her travel bag and walked to the only person standing at the bus stop. She was there to pick her up said the red haired woman Melissa has already forgotten the name of. She was super kind and didn't seem to care about the state Melissa was in. They walked the short way to the farm without talking too much. The woman just seemed to want to prepare her for the state the land was in. Melissa already figured it must be bad since no one even visited for at least 15 years, but when she saw it she panicked. Her expression went blank and she didn't listen to what the Mayor said, who came out of the house.

She felt a reassuring pat on the shoulders from the nice woman and got at least the last of the Mayor's words, she should put any produce she wants to sell into the box at the side of the house. Pah, talking about produce on abandoned land standing in front of a house that seemed so brittle she wasn't sure whether or not she should buy a tent. The woman seemed to notice her desperate look and said the house was sturdy enough and okay to live in. She's the carpenter of the town, so that at least was a little calming. Though she already offered her services for this and that. If Melissa could get this farm going, she would have to spend her savings updating the house.

She gave her grandfather's greetings to the Mayor and he and the carpenter left.

She sat down on the front porch and buried her face in her hands. "What did I get myself into..." she said to herself, already crying big tears of regret.

***

  
The next day everything looked just a tiny bit better, but enough to keep her sane. What a little bit of sleep and a good breakfast did.

It took her forever to fall asleep the night, the house feeling so strange and empty, the weird noises kind of scary. Also the thoughts of the old days with her grandpa at the farm weighing her down. Why didn't she visit him when she got older? Everything in the city seemed so much more interesting and she forgot the warm feeling of the farm and the village. And then she just ran out of time.

A deep breath. Stepping on the front porch Melissa repeated to herself _I can do this. I will make this my home. I will be able to live off of the produce of this farm. I can do this. I will do this_.She had already gathered the old tools after she ate the most delicious scrambled eggs she ever had in the morning. The Mayor had left her some eggs, onions and toast in the house for her to eat, which was so nice. She wasn't even part of the community yet and still someone cared. Her heart got a little warmer at that thought and her motivation better. So she started early to tend to the first squares of land in the crisp spring air. She would need to get some groceries in the afternoon and wanted to get shit done before that.

When her stomach growled so loud she couldn't ignore it anymore, Melissa found herself panting and sweating like she ran a marathon. She totally lost track of time and cleared only the first bits of land right in front of the house. She went inside, washed her hands and face and took a glimpse at the clock on the wall. She put batteries in the night before. It showed 3pm. 3pm! She went outside at 7:30 that morning and if she remembered correctly, the carpenter told her the grocery store closed at 4pm.

She knew it wasn't that far, so Melissa hurried and made her way into the village as fast as she could.

She was so hectic that on her way she bumped into someone way bigger than her. Her face smashing right into a well clothed chest. „I'm so sorry!“ she cried out, trying to steady her breath. She remembered everyone knew everyone in villages like this so she took a step back and offered the stranger a bright smile. Reaching her hand towards the big guy she said „I'm now living on the farm close to the village, name's Melissa! Nice to meet you“. She giggled „sorry for the circumstances.“ The man gave her a very warm and welcoming smile, waving his hand to tell her it was okay. Then he took her hand and squeezed it firmly. „Nice to meet you, too. I'm Harvey, the town's Doctor.“ _His moustache looks funny_ , she thought, _he looks too young to wear one_. _His eyes are kind and his hair a curly mess. Sympathetic, the Doc_. „Sorry, I really have to get going or I will starve to death! Have a nice day, Doc!“, she hurried on and heard a chuckle while she was stumbling on towards the grocery store.

She stocked up on groceries that didn't go bad too quickly, listened to some small talk of the owner and promised to buy her first seeds from him, which had him beaming. As if she would buy anything at the shithouse Joja.

Next up was the Saloon, to get some real food. She ordered take-out, because she felt disgusting and didn't want to meet too many villagers like this. The owner was very kind and quiet, his cheeks were rosy. He also had a moustache, but a big one. Like big big. Not groomed and short like the doc had it, but most likely combed an waxed. But it fit him very well and he was about that age, Melissa expected people to wear a beard like that.

He gave Melissa a bottle of wine on top of her order on the house, as a greeting. She was so happy about that nice gesture that her eyes got a little watery and she turned away quickly, saying her thanks to the man called Gus at least three times before leaving. An other person being nice and welcoming, something she never experienced living in the city.

At home she really enjoyed her meal, it was delicious. 'At home', she just thought about that. This old brittle cabin would be her home from now on, and besides the financial concerns the thought made her happy.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Sleep On The Floor - The Lumineers'


	2. Lunchbreak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Melissa visits Harvey during his lunchbreak

It's been a few weeks since Melissa took over the farm.

She spent her days gaining back some of the land, planting her first seeds and sleeping a lot. Like a LOT. She wasn't used to the amount of physical work and got tired at noon almost every single day. Since time was on her side since she left the city, she just slept away her exhaustion. Her muscles were sore the first days without a break, and she ate so much that she had to go to Pierre's a lot more often than she anticipated. But soon she would have her self-grown food and it would get better. She felt better than ever in her life, even though the fear of a financial crisis didn't go away. She was still living off of her savings.

At least she made contact with a few of the villagers. There were some people her age, but she had problems getting in touch with them. There was this grumpy guy for example, a bit older than her, his name Shane. Which he himself didn't tell her but the owner of the saloon did. She somehow felt drawn to him in a weird way, so she kept trying to get to know him. She already started off on a bad foot with some girls as well. Haley reminded her of a Highschool bully and Abigail just seemed to be very moody, but Melissa had a feeling she would get along well with her, if they became friends at some point.

There were some people she made friends with already as well. Robin, the carpenter, was very nice and her son Sebastian was quiet but they clicked straight away. Linus, a dropout living in a tent behind the carpentry was super weird, interesting and cool somehow. Melissa brought him whatever she found on her way to town and he almost always loved it and was really happy.

Then there was Harvey, which she didn't know what kind of relationship they had. He was always so nice to her, but she didn't know if that was just because he was the doctor and a very kind person in general. But she was finding herself always seeking out his presence, and he didn't seem to mind. She just kept stopping by the clinic to say hi while she was on her way to the city. So she never stayed for longer than a few minutes, doing smalltalk. But also she got weirdly nervous when she was around Harvey. He was a pretty nervous person himself, so luckily he was not noticing.

One day Melissa picked up a few ingredients for cooking the next days, and talked to the cute skaterboy named Sam. Then she talked with Alex, who she considered either a real womanizer or gay, she did not know yet. Still she had a lot of time left on her hands, since she already planted a few seeds and only had to take care of them. She was too sore to tend to more land or cut down trees for wood. So she decided to go to the saloon, got three coffees to go and headed to the clinic. When she stood in front of the door she felt her heartrate going up a lot. She did not think this through. Was it weird? But she wanted to be brave and she really wanted to see Harvey. So she stepped inside with a big smile to fake confidence. „Hey Maru, I thought it must be about time for your lunch-break! So I brought coffee.“ Handing her one of the cups she got such a pretty smile that she felt less awkward. „Thank you so much! Harvey is in his office, you can go through“, Maru told her and Melissa made her way to the back of the clinic. She knocked against the door to not startle Harvey and heard a mufled „come on in“. So she entered and saw the man sitting at his desk, not turning around. He made a gesture to her to sit down saying „just a minute and I`ll be there for you, I need to finish this report“. Melissa giggled because she knew he didn't even recognize who came in. He instantly turned around „Oh, hi Melissa! Wasn`t expecting you to come in! Excuse me, just a minute and I`m finished.“ Melissa put the coffee on his desk and sat down to wait, so she could spend Harvey's break with him. She knew he rarely even took his breaks, so she might as well stay and make sure he gets his head off of work for a short while.

Harvey turned around and gave his thanks for the coffee, immediately taking a sip. „How are you doing?“, Melissa asked. It was the only thing she could think about saying. „Ehm.. I guess fine. Bit rough financially, but I have enough savings from the winter. How are you doing? You look way better than when you first came to town!“.

„Guess I am better. A lot. It`s been tough for me in the city, mentally. Now I feel more at peace, and the physical work feels good. Its a lot though.“ she didn't notice she was reaching to her neck, kneading a bit at the sore muscles. „Mh, if you would like to, I -“ he paused a few seconds and Melissa thought she saw a slight blush on his cheeks „I could massage your neck, so your muscles will relax.“

Oh my god, there went the heartbeat again. „Oh, um, I, I wasn't coming here as a patient. I wanted to help to get your mind OFF of work, not working even in your break.“ He waved his hand. „No no, I offer this as a friend“. Now he really turned red. She most likely as well. „I... I would like that.“

„Well then. Turn your chair around and if you're okay with it, pull down that cardigan so I can reach your shoulders better.“ She did so, thinking that it was a good choice wearing a top and a cardigan, not a sweater. She would have been embarrassed to sit there just in a bra. Melissa heard a sound like Harvey was putting oil or something on his hands and then she felt the warmth against her neck. His big hands a very nice temperature, a little rough but soft as well. As he started kneading she had to fight hard to hold back a moan. _Oh fuck. Oh fuck, fuck fuck fuck. This is not good._ Shivers went down between her legs and she just realized, she would enjoy him touching her at so much more places. Inappropriate places. _Oh Yoba, no. You're not into the towns doctor. No, no, no. He might not even see you as an equal at all. He might even have more of a protective, parental view on you. Oh no._

“Relax, Melissa. You're so tense. I can feel a few knots in your muscles but I'm not getting them out like this.“ _Oh shit. Oh well._

 _Whatever, might as well enjoy this._ Melissa tried to quiet her thoughts and to feel into her body. Which was responding waaay to much. But she managed to relax a little and Harvey went harder at the spots that hurt the most. She hissed. It was really painful.

„Yeah, I know. But in a few minutes you will feel better.“ He went on and as the farmer's muscles relaxed she felt the soreness leaving her. Harvey kneaded on firmly, but softer than before and went down her back. Just over her hips, he hit a spot. She was so relaxed and enjoying this by now, that she couldn't hold it back. A soft moan escaped her and she just gave in.

„Oh Yoba, Harvey, this feels SO good“. He didn't say anything but kept going, giving attention to that spot once in while, always dragging a quiet sigh out of the farmer. When he was done Melissa felt like melted wax and whispered her thanks. When she turned around Harvey sat across from her. „You're welcome. Hope this helped“.

„I feel a lot better, and this was just nice in general. I have problems with being touched by people I don't know. So I never got a professional massage like this.“ The Doctor looked kind of happy hearing this, at least Melissa wished that this was the reason behind his expression. „So you don't mind me touching you?“ he said with a smile, just to go a very deep shade of red right after. „I, I meant like, oh Yoba what did I say“.

„No, I, I somehow already trust you and I like you, so I don't mind physical contact with you, Harvey“. _He's cute. So shy and cautious. And skilled with his hands. Shit._

When the silence between them was about to get even weirder, Maru knocked on the door and told Harvey that his afternoon appointment arrived. So Melissa got up to leave. A hand on the doorknob she thanked Harvey again and he thanked her for the coffee.

With one too many butterflies in her stomach Melissa made her way back to the farm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!  
> I'm so so happy a few people already left kudos, I appreciate it a lot :3
> 
> I hope you enjoy and I would love to hear your thoughts so far :)
> 
> 'Bloom - The Paper Kites'


	3. Lunchbreak - Harvey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harvey's view

„Oh Yoba, Harvey, this feels SO good“. He didn't say anything but kept going, giving attention to that spot once in a while, always dragging a quiet sigh out of the farmer.

***

It had been a while since the new girl in town literally ran into him. She was a young, bubbly person, taking over the old farm. Since moving in, she visited the clinic every once in a while, making contact to Maru and him. She was the only person he knew who would voluntary visit the clinic without needing anything. But he enjoyed it and he liked the casual connection they were making.

He didn't have any friends in town besides Maru, since he was working a lot and a very introverted person. Also no one would ever start a conversation with him that was not about his job. He knew a lot about everyone in the village, but no one really knew much about him. He was only able to connect with Maru because they worked together, so on days where there was not a lot to do, they talked about private stuff.

He laughed a lot more since Melissa moved to Pelican, and he even forgot about work for a few minutes when talking to her. She was quite a bit younger than him, but he felt a connection to her. She seemed to enjoy his presence, but she also made contact with about everyone in the village, always being kind and open minded, so he didn't want to think too much of it.

It was a busy day for Harvey, even though flu season was almost over. He worked all morning without even taking a sip of his coffee, which was cold by now. He stood up, lifting his arms and stretching his back. He poured the coffee into the sink. He set the empty cup on his table, got a glass of water and continued working. His stomach made a rumbling sound, but he just ignored it. Typing away on his report, he heard a knock on his door. „Come on in“. He really needed to finish this. „Just a minute and I'll be there for you, I need to finish this report“, he said to not be impolite. But since the person didn't have an appointment, waiting a minute should have been fine with them.

He heard a giggle and his heart jumped to the conclusion it was Melissa. He immediately turned around. What a pleasant surprise. It was about time for his lunchbreak anyway, which he was trying to quit. Might as well take a break now, would be better for him as well. She was even so thoughtful and brought him a coffee to go, which he was very excited about because he had to get rid of his cold coffee just a few minutes ago. Also Gus' coffee was always the best, only the nightmarket coffee could beat it. The kindness of the gesture made his heart warm and then Melissa also asked him, how he was doing. No one ever asked him, how he was doing, so this was special. They talked a bit and Harvey noticed her hand going up, kneading the muscles at her neck. She also looked very tense. He couldn't notice and leave this be. So he offered a massage, despite nervousness rising in his chest.

„Oh, um, I, I wasn't coming here as a patient. I wanted to help to get your mind OFF of work, not working even in your break” Melissa said. He waved his hand. „No no, I offer this as a friend“ he heard himself say, blushing immediately. He said it, revealing that he didn't just see her as a patient.

„I... I would like that.“ He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding in. He knew how to do this, so his nerves calmed down a bit, though he enjoyed the feeling of her bare skin underneath his hands a bit too much. She was so tense, he couldn't even warm up her muscles, so he told her to relax. It took a few minutes but then the tension began leaving her. He concentrated on her neck and shoulders, but as they softened up, he gave attention to her back as well. Totally in his element now it catched him off guard when Melissa started moaning and praising him. _Oooh._ He felt a twitch inside his trousers, blood rushing to places where it should not go. He cursed in his head like a mad person, trying not give anything away to the farmer. _No Harvey, get your shit together! Just a human body, just a reaction of relief. She doesn't mean you. How would a person like her even want you. Besides, you're too fucking old. Stop reacting like a teenager!_

It started to get too much, and he worked out most of her knots anyway. So he dropped back onto his chair, crossing his legs quickly, hiding his growing erection and putting on a pokerface. _Don't. Let. Her. Know._

She told him about having problems with allowing physical contact with people was not close with, but she liked the massage. Harvey took pride in his skills so he willingly accepted the compliment. He also knew from a lot of people telling him, that he had a calming aura somehow, which might explain why it has been easier for her to accept the massage. “So you don't mind me touching you?“ he wanted to clarify, but right after saying it aloud he recognized that this sounded very ambiguous. He could feel the heat creeping up his face, being embarrassed by his question. „I, I meant like, oh Yoba what did I say“... The spiral in his head had started. But she snapped him out of it easily, she didn't read anything into it and even told her she trusted him. This feels so soothing. It didn't feel like the type of “professional” trust towards her doctor. But like a human connection. He smiled at that, not knowing what to say next. But before the silence got weird Maru came in and told him that his next appointment was waiting outside. So Melissa left and Harvey got back to work.

***

“ _Oooh Harvey... This feels sooo good. Hnnn... Don't stop...”_

_He takes her breast in his hand, palming her nipple and rubbing little circles. Her neck is so beautiful. Placing small kisses all over the skin there his mouth finds his way to her other breast. His other hand continuing its motions between her legs. Slowly building up speed her breath gets rough, low moans leaving her more frequently. She whispers his name over and over. “Harvey... I'm close...”_

He woke up sweating, with an aching hard member, to the sound of his alarm clock.

 _Holy..._ He couldn't remember the last time he had a wet dream. His cock pleading for touch, his breath wrecked, he got up and turned on his coffee machine. He wasn't going to touch himself now, he just couldn't get off to a merely won new friend who also happened to be HIS PATIENT.

And so much younger. So far out of reach. Why would she even have been interested in him? He was the most boring person in the entire valley. Not very attractive, introverted and nervous all the time. This dream was more than inappropriate, but he couldn't blame his unconscious for it. He had to make extra effort consciously though, to not let these feelings linger too much.

He brushed his teeth, washed his face with very cold water and detangled his curls with his hands. Looking at himself in the mirror. _You are pathetic. Look at you getting all messed up just because a pretty woman sighed while you gave her a massage. You're an old filthy jerk getting all hot about a young newcomer just because she is showing you some affection._

That took at least care of his erection, but he felt like trash. This was going to be long day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a bit nervous about this one, let me know what you think >.<
> 
> 'Mr. Sandman - SYML'


	4. Checkup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Your pulse is high"
> 
> \- I'm a little nervous...  
> \- I'm out of breath from working on the farm.  
> \- I HAVE A HUGE FUCKING CRUSH ON YOU

The next couple of days went by faster, then Melissa anticipated. The first crops started to grow, so she had to tie a few of them up. She started checking her cauliflower almost daily, since it was the most expensive plant she had and she already found some snails making their way up the leaves. So she had to take care of her vegetables a lot, because she did not want to use pesticides. Also she found the recipe for pickled veggies in an old magazine of her grandpa that she wanted to try soon. When the first beans would be ready to harvest, she would give it a go.

She also had her first harvest of parsnips, which turned out okay. She put most of them into the shipping bin for Lewis to take, but she also saved a few for herself and also for Robin. She had been so nice to her when she came to the valley, so she was determined to give back at least a bit. When Melissa finally finished her work in the afternoon, she went up to go to Robin's place.

The carpenter was very pleased, even though the parsnips were a bit... weird looking and small. But she invited Melissa to dinner with a dish she would cook out of them.

So Melissa was sitting in the kitchen, chatting with Robin when Maru entered the house with a dramatic sigh. „What's up Maru?“, Robin asked her. „Ugh“, Maru stomped to the kitchen. „Oh, hi Melissa! Didn't see you there. Man, Harvey has been in a _mood_ last week. And he still is. You know, I love my job, and Harvey is a good boss. But that mood is totally weighing me down. Can't get him to cheer up. So irritated that he is grumping around all day. The first patients are starting to complain as well. Doesn't make it easier.“

„Oh no, Maru, that sounds exhausting. Did something happen?“, Melissa asked. She was getting worried and had a guilty conscience for not visiting, just because she was in her own head.

„Hm. No. Nothing that I know of at least and he usually tells me. Maybe he just needs a few days off. But there's nothing you can do if you're the only doctor for miles. He doesn't have friends around as well as far as I know. I might be the only person close to him and I can't handle this vibe more than at work right now.”

A friend. Melissa remembered his words when he gave her the massage. They were starting to get along better, but to be honest with herself Melissa avoided seeing Harvey after that lunchbreak they spent together. She had to cool down a bit and she had her hands full of work. But, she felt bad knowing that Harvey wasn't doing well.

“Hm... If I can make time this week I could stop by at the clinic. Didn't visit you guys in a while. I think I can at least make the Doc take his lunchbreak for a day”, Melissa winked at Maru and she could see the relief in her face. “OH you would do that for me? That would be amazing! You might be the only person he talks to other than me.”

Maru gave the farmer a tight hug and soon it was time to eat. Even Sebastian and Demetrius came to sit and eat with them, it felt really warm and nice. Afterwards Melissa went to the lake with Sebastian, who wanted to smoke and walk a bit. So she joined him and they chatted about the city. She really liked Sebastian, but they were total opposites. Like night and day.

After their walk she went home. Feeling warm and welcomed, but also nervousness was rising in her chest. Okay, she would go visit Harvey tomorrow. Otherwise she might not go.

They could become friends. She wanted to be close to him. To see him happy. Nothing wrong with _befriending_ the towns doctor. Right?

***

When Melissa came into the clinic in the early afternoon, Harvey was at the front desk rustling through some papers. He looked a bit stressed, his brow was furrowed with what looked like concern. “Hey Harvey”, Melissa greeted him a bit shy, her voice more quiet than usual. Harvey finally looked up from His papers and his brows went to normal. He looked tired though, dark circles under his eyes. “Good thing you came in today, have a few minutes to spare? Since you're new in Pelican I would like to perform a basic checkup on you. I actually was about to write you a letter about it.” That somehow caught her off guard, but of course, he would be her doctor from now on and she didn't hand him any information. She didn't even have any, since her last visit at a doctor's was about 2 years ago. “Yeah, I guess. Let's get this done with then.” So much to spending the lunch-break with him.

She was already in her head when they went back, knowing she didn't see this coming and didn't shower or anything beforehand. She actually was still wearing her overalls, and she had worked quite a sweat during the morning. She just prayed it wouldn't be too bad.

Harvey moved quick, his moves practised. First he took a blood sample, which made her a bit dizzy. Then he did a basic check of her organs. He was quite close to her, concentrated on the task at hand. But Melissa could smell his cologne, which had her heartbeat fasten up. He smelled _so_ good.

“Hmm.. Your pulse is high...”

 _Fuck it.Of course he would notice._ Melissa rummaged through her head for an excuse. She already made up an answer and then decided last minute to just tell the truth. She was done with playing pretend like she always had done in the city.

“Uhm... I...” _Oh my goodness, you can't just tell him you are into him, right?_ “Erm, I'm just a bit nervous...”, yeah that was true. Still not the whole truth. But Harvey didn't reply as she expected, didn't even ask her why. His face just softened up a lot, what made him look way more like himself then the version of him Melissa saw just a few minutes ago.

He concluded she was afraid of hospitals and reassured her he was just there to help. She was so startled about this, that she couldn't even contradict him. “You're already through this, follow me to the front please.”

They went back to the front, Melissa stood at the counter, fidgeting with her hands.

“You seem very healthy, no need to worry. I will check in with you when the results of your blood sample come in.”

“Uhm, yes. Thank you.” Melissa kept standing there, not sure what to do.

“Do you need anything else, Melissa?” Harvey asked, which made Melissa realise she was being weird. “Uhm, I wanted to ask you, if you would like to grab a coffee with me on sunday? I didn't make much contact with anyone around yet and I would really like to get to know you a bit better.” _Yes, that is a good idea. Get to know him better. You could both need a friend and a distraction from work. You can always see where things go. Take it slow, Melissa._ She came to terms with what she decided and already felt her breath getting more regular and her pulse calming down.

“Oh! Well... Yes, why not?”, Harvey smiled mildly at her. “I would enjoy getting to know you as well.”

“Alrigth then, that settles it! How about 4pm?”

“Sounds good.”

With a slight spring in her step Melissa left the clinic. This felt right. Harvey was a friend. No need to do anything about the butterflies already rising in her chest again. She could just enjoy this giddy feeling and see how things would develop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, first time I played the game at this point the crush was for real.  
> Guess some of you can relate ;)
> 
> 'Cinnamon - Jome'


	5. Coffee date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just Harvey and Melissa being cute.

Sunday came fast. Melissa managed to finish her tasks at noon and took a long and hot shower. She took extra time to take care of her hair, braiding it after the shower, so there would be nice waves in it when dry. She even put on a little bit of makeup, way less than she used to when she still lived in the city though. People around here almost always saw her without any makeup on and she really liked it that way. But also, she knew how to enhance her features and a bit of makeup had always given her a light confidence boost. She settled for Mascara and a bit of highlighter on her cheekbones and the bridge of her nose.

 _Now what to wear._ She pulled out a black top with a very deep neckline. _Hmm.. No. Too sexy._ Then she pulled out a rusty coloured dress which made her eyes look brighter. _Too formal._ She then settled for a basic, but cute and just slightly revealing outfit. Just a pair of light denim skinny jeans and a tight fitting white Tee. The Shirt had a nice deep V-neck, but not too deep. She decided to wear a brown lace bralette underneath, the lace peeking out a bit. The fabric of the shirt was thick enough that it wasn't showing through, the lace popping out giving it a slightly sexy but cute look at the same time. _Yeah, that's nice. Casual but still showing what you got. Nothing to hide here._

She got way more confident with her body and showing her curves since working on the farm. She didn't change too much, but she just felt more comfortable in her skin. It already was about time to head out, so Melissa took out the braids and shook her hair a bit. She pulled the upper half of it together into a messy bun. She already ran a bit late, but at least she would look good. She really wanted to look good.

Melissa arrived at the saloon just 5 minutes too late, but Harvey already sat inside, waiting for her. Heat crept up her cheeks seeing him waiting for her. But as he lifted his eyes from his newspaper and met hers, she saw warmth and kindness in them. She even thought his eyes went wider at her sight, but that might just have been wishful thinking. He stood up quickly, which seemed to be a bit too formal and made Melissa chuckle. She went to the booth where he was waiting and smiled at him shyly. Harvey was fumbling with his watch and stuttered “Uh.. erm.. N.. nice to meet you, Melissa! Hi!”. _Oh my gosh, he is so cute._ Melissa chuckled again and gave Harvey a quick hug, which seemed to surprise him. “Hey Harvey. Glad to see you!”.

They sat down and Gus already came around, bringing them coffee. “Anything else I can bring you guys?”, they declined and Melissa smiled about the fact that he already knew what they wanted even without asking. They started eyeing each other nervously, until Harvey cleared his throat. “So, how have you been doing? Adjusting to the farm work?” Melissa started to tell him about all the crops and how she had to gain back a lot of the land. The state her cabin was in, everything. She also told him she wanted to get started with pickling vegetables and learned that Harvey loved pickled stuff.

Harvey was listening closely to what Melissa had to say, taking a sip from his coffee from time to time. His eyes locked with hers a lot and every time a slight blush covered his face. Melissa did not notice though. He was taken by surprise by how she looked, he never really saw her not in her overalls. She looked stunning and he couldn't stop his eyes wandering down to that cleavage a few times, always looking a different way quickly when he realized it. It wasn't that hard though, her eyes were just so beautiful that he could get lost in them. They were a light caramel tone with little brown spots in them.The way she spoke about the farm showed the joy she felt for her new life in the valley. And even though it had its downsides too, Harvey totally understood.

“So, what about you? How have you been doing?”, Melissa asked when she decided she had been talking for a bit too long just about herself. She remembered that Maru told her he had been in a bad mood, even though it didn't seem like that to her since meeting him. “Yeah so, it's been a bit rough the last week. But I guess I just needed to get out of the clinic for once to get a clear head again. So thank you for asking me out”, he smiled, but it didn't look genuine to Melissa. Maybe he just didn't want to tell. But at least he seemed to feel better, so that was enough for now. They talked a bit about their past and Melissa learned that Harvey didn't grow up in the valley and had lived in a big city before moving to Pelican as well. They shared their feelings and experiences of life in the city versus life at the countryside. They talked about bookstores and their favourite cafés, the feeling of anonymity and blending with the masses. The fast pace and pressure. They were both very glad, that they ended up at a quiet and calm place like Pelican.

Time flew by and soon they had to order some food. It would be hard on her wallet to stay so long at the saloon, but she didn't even think about ending her meetup with Harvey. She was enjoying his company way too much and enjoyed the light prickly feeling it gave her, when their eyes met. He was so kind, warm-hearted and genuinely interested in what she had to tell. She just felt safe and accepted with him, a feeling she very rarely had. He also was so attractive with his messy hair and green eyes. His skin was pale and he had a few freckles here and there. Melissa also got used to his moustache quickly, it somehow added to his personality. She liked his hands. He looked so good with his sleeves rolled up a bit, his shirt a few buttons open, not closed to the top as he usually wore it. And his lips...

“Melissa?” she heard him ask. Oh. How long hadn't she been listening? She was totally staring at his lips with low eyelids, nibbling on her lower lip, without really noticing.

“Uh, I'm sorry, I lost track of what you said. I'm getting really hungry”, she tried to excuse herself and laughed nervously.

“Yes, makes sense, we have been sitting here for quite a while”, Harvey answered. “I just asked you, if you would like to show me your farm sometime” he added. “Oh, yes of course! I would be very happy to have someone visit”, she smiled and her heart beat a bit faster to the conclusion Harvey seemed to enjoy her presence.

Gus came around with their food and brought them a glass of wine each on the house. They ate and talked more until the late evening.

It hurt her to say it, but it was getting very late and she started her day at 6 in the morning. “It's getting late... I guess I'll have to get going now.” Harvey looked at his watch, surprised. “Oh wow, you're right!”. He blushed and waved Gus over. “You guys wanna call it a night? 'Twas a pleasure to have you! So, how do ya wanna pay?”, he said. “This is on me” Harvey said, while Melissa said “split the bill please” simultaneously. “I'll invite you, Melissa”, Harvey said, which she wasn't about to take so simply. “No, no Harvey. I _really_ had a good time with you, that's absolutely enough. We're both not too well financially, so let's just split”, she smiled very warmly at him, butterflies rummaging in her belly again. She nodded to Gus and told him to split. He smirked and split the bill.They each paid their part and Melissa squeezed Harvey's arm lightly. “It was such a nice evening with you, I hope we will repeat this sometime. I have to go now.” She let go of his arm after a few seconds, even though it was hard. With a very visible blush, Harvey told Melissa good night and she left.

Harvey still sat there a few minutes, smiling to himself. He felt good.

This night Melissa dreamt of soft lips and messy hair, warm laughter and blushing cheeks.

Harvey thought about the soft touch and the light feeling in his heart while laying in his bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'The sense of me - Mud Flow'


	6. Making friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Melissa gets in touch with more villagers.

„Melissa, whatever you did, it did wonders for Harvey's mood!“ Maru said happily. Melissa had run into her on her way from town up to Robin's place. She wanted to ask Robin, if she could show her how to build a simple chest out of wood. „He's still on some weird mood swings, but the vibe around him has totally changed.“ Melissa was happy to hear this and felt like she was getting a special connection with the doctor. But she also had to keep herself from thinking too much into it. „Guess you were right then, poor thing just needs to get his head off of his responsibilities sometimes.“ „Yeah. He's totally putting too much pressure on himself. Either way, thank you! I have to get going, Penny might already be waiting for me.“ She waved at her and Melissa headed north.

***

Melissa stood there for a moment, panting. She had successfully chopped up some wood from the trees on her farm. She got some wooden boards and all the supplies she needed from Robin to build her chest. She got the boards for less money, but in return had to supply Robin with some wood. Melissa had a man from the next village come over to take down the trees and chop them up roughly, so she just had to do the rest. Too dangerous to take down the trees on her own. Robin would come around with her truck to collect the wood the next day.

Melissa smiled at her work, totally drenched in sweat. The chest looked good and she finally had some storage for her first produce. She started pickling some veggies the day before and her entire kitchen was filled with little glass containers. She asked around town for empty marmalade and honey jars and got quite a bit together. In a few days the first batch would be ready. Now she could at least put the empty jars away and also some utensils she got from Marnie. Marnie was her only neighbour, living about fifteen minutes away from her by foot. The grumpy guy Shane and one of the few kids in the village, a girl named Jas, lived there with her. She also had a farm, specialised on raising animals. She almost talked Melissa into getting chickens already, but that felt too overwhelming for her for now. She didn't even know if she would be able to take care of her plants well enough to not lose money. And she already had her hands full of work. Because she made cheese and mayo and other kinds of homemade goods from time to time, Marnie had quite a few supplies for these things. She had just bought some new ones and was happy to give her old ones to the new farmergirl. Who was genuinely surprised by the kindness of people around and already felt so much more at the right place than she ever did living in the city.

She went inside, the wind on her sweaty skin way too cold. She hopped under the shower. While soaping up her hair she thought about bringing Harvey some of her pickles. Would that be too obvious? Or just considered a nice gesture like people just did around here? Yeah, she had huge fucking crush on the doc, but she was very afraid the feeling wasn't mutual. She was afraid of being made fun of, because she was weird and stupid for falling for the town's doctor. But still, his kind eyes and soft voice were luring her in. She at least wanted to be around him. He did seem to enjoy their friendship at least. When she was done with her shower, wrapped in a towel and eating a sandwich, Melissa looked at her clock. 7pm. Friday. She was tired, but more physically. She didn't want to call it a day yet. The only option that came to her mind was the saloon. Well then, let's head there and just see what happens. At the worst she would just drink a glass of wine and chat with Gus and Emily. Not too bad. She pulled out some casual clothes, which wasn't hard considering she only brought a few items of clothing with her. But she still made a bit of an effort, who knew, maybe she would see Harvey there. She shook her head to that thought. You're hopeless. You really shouldn't think about him like that. But still, it felt so right and good.

When she entered the saloon her eyes scanned the area. Leah was standing at a desk with Elliot, engaging in a lively conversation. Shane stood drinking at his usual corner. No one else there yet. So Melissa took a seat at the bar. “What can I get ya?” Gus asked. She ordered a semi-sweet white wine and took little sips, just sitting there. Back at the city, she would never have gone out by herself like this. She was a stay-at-home really. She only went partying a few times with her friends, to dance off the stress of the week. But she never initialised it and since they all got more busy, the contact faded. When she left the city for the farm, she really didn't have anything to leave behind besides her dad. They were close, but they didn't see each other often anyway. Her mom had moved out a year after her grandpa died. When she didn't have a task assigned to her anymore, no one to take care of anymore, she said she felt hollow and that she wanted to start a new life. She moved to a different state and was never heard of again.

Melissa jolted when she suddenly saw a black silhouette beside her. Sebastian cleared his throat “lost in thought hmm?”.

“Oh, well, yes.”

“Do you want to hang with us?”, he nodded over to the next room, where Sam and Abigail were sitting on a big couch, looking at the display of Sam's gameboy.

“Yeah, why not”. She followed Sebastian and sat down at the other couch standing in the room. They all chatted a bit and after a while Sebastian and Sam started a round of pool. It felt easy and chill, a nice evening. Melissa felt a bit out of place though, despite the group being around her age. She estimated that Sebastian was a bit older than her, Sam and Abigail younger. But Abigail was the youngest one obviously. Melissa liked her quirky style and the colourful hair. Even though she could see how dead her ends were. More smalltalk was being made and the evening passed. Melissa glanced over to the bar quite a few times, but no Harvey in sight. At about 11:30 she decided to head home. She had a few glasses of wine already and started to feel a bit dizzy. She said her goodbyes to the group and paid up for her drinks. When she was about to head out she heard Sebastian calling for her. “Wait, Melissa! Uh, do you wanna hang sometime again? We're playing the Solarion Chronicles on wednesday. Come, if you feel like it!” He smiled at her and already turned around to go back to the others. He made it so simple, leaving the choice to her with no pressure. Sebastian was just easy to be around with. But at the same time he had that mysteriousness around him and interesting opinions. She liked him. Maybe she should go play that game with them.

Days went by, Melissa kept up with her usual business, and actually went to play with the group. It was fun, but took really long. She didn't think she would end up doing this regularly with them. She got to know the three better though and had a good time. When she saw Sam and Sebastian hanging out somewhere together, she didn't just walk by anymore. She stopped for a few minutes, chatting and fooling around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not reallymuch happening in this chapter, but I hope you enjoyed anyway.  
> We need to have some framework, right? :D
> 
> 'Old Pine - Ben Howard'


	7. Pickles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We're entering anxious territory.

Two weeks went by and spring was in full bloom.

Melissa got her cabin patched up a bit and it was actually starting to look cosy inside. She got more skilled with her plants and actually made enough money to live from farming. It wasn't a lot, but she knew how to stay on a budget. She hadn't touched her savings for the last two weeks and the future started to look less frightening.

She had met with Sebastian, Sam and Abigail a few times. As expected, when the ice broke a bit between her and Abigail, they got closer really quick. Abigail put up a hard facade, but she was actually very caring and curious about the world.

On days Melissa only had to water her crops, she often visited Harvey in the clinic. They chatted over coffee and formed a bond. Harvey seemed to be more at ease with her and Melissa also felt safe and understood with him. It was a more profound feeling than with the others. But she also couldn't get it out of her head that she _wanted_ him. It was getting easier though to be around him and not act all weird because of it. She wasn't really clear about the signs he was giving her though. Some days he seemed a bit cold and more distanced, others he blushed easily and looked at her a bit longer than a person would, that is not interested in more than friendship. He was getting nervous quickly when it came to human interaction, so maybe it was to blame on that.

***

Melissa decided, that her first batch of pickles was ready. After trying a few of them, she picked her favourite and marked the recipe she liked best in the magazine, so next time she would only use that one. She had 3 jars of that mixture, one already opened to test the taste. So she decided, she would gift one to Harvey, since he told her on their date that he loved them. She would bring the other one to Marnie, as a thank you for all the supplies. She smiled when she put one jar in her backpack.

After Melissa had taken care of all her plants, she went into her bathroom, washed her hands and face and redid her braid. She double checked if she looked okay and went out. She grabbed her backpack and a basket of spring onions she had gathered the day before in the forest, to sell to Pierre. On her way back she wanted to collect some berries, so she didn't change out of her overalls, which was already common for her to do since it was just most convenient. No one seemed to care anyway. Abigail even told her once she thought it looked cute, which made her more confident.

Melissa first went to Pierre's to sell him the Onions. They weren't worth much, but she couldn't possibly use all of hem herself. She met Abigail in the store and they agreed upon playing video games together one day.

When she entered the clinic, she saw Harvey and Maru standing close together, talking about something. Harvey had a very visible blush across his cheeks. When the door clicked shut, they both looked up and Melissa saw Harvey looking away and clearing his throat.

It stinged. First Maru came to the front, a minute after Harvey came as well. “I, I just... Wanted to give you these pickles, since you said you like them. I hope you like them!”, Melissa stuttered, her Arms stretched forward, almost pressing the jar into Harvey's chest. He smiled shyly, and Maru raised an eyebrow at him. When Harvey took the glass out of her hands she immediately turned and rushed out of the door. All the feelings took her by surprise. She felt exposed, ashamed and even jealous.

She was already in the forest, when she first stopped. Out of breath, she sat down on a big stone. She pressed her hands against her eyes. _Okay, calm down Melissa. You are totally over-reacting_. _Of course the world is not evolving around you, okay? He just blushes easily. Doesn't mean he likes you. Doesn't mean he likes... her._ Her stomach turned at that thought. But it made sense. Him and Maru. Maybe Harvey acted all weird around her because he was actually getting the signals she gave him, but he didn't reciprocate the feeling. Was embarrassed by a patient falling for him, but too nice to reject her.

“Ehm, you okay?” She saw Shane looking weirdly at her. Yeah right, she sat not far from Marnie's ranch and she must have looked like shit.

“Piss off”, she snapped at him and he just rolled his eyes and went on, towards the Saloon most likely. Every time Melissa had tried to talk to him he was just plain mean, but she already regretted the way she had just treated him. But she was so vulnerable at that moment and she couldn't tell anyone. Especially not that guy. She rolled her shoulders, took a deep breath and went home. Slowly, with heavy steps. She wasn't in the mood to pick berries anymore. So she went straight to bed, even though it was only 7 o'clock when she arrived at her cabin. She cried herself to sleep, feeling disappointed, lonely and stupid.

***

Harvey didn't know why Maru saught a dialogue with him and was already annoyed before she even started talking. But he didn't expect the topic it was about so she caught him off guard.

“You like her, am I right? And don't tell me just as friends, I see the way you look at her. I'm not dumb, Harvey.” His head was spinning. _Was it this obvious? Oooh, she would so be judging him. Hopefully she would not tell anyone! Was he being unprofessional?_

But before he could even explain himself or justify his behaviour the door to the clinic went open and of all people, Melissa came in. He was very embarrassed by the conversation just seconds ago and then immediately having to face the subject of discussion. He cleared his throat and took a deep breath. His face betrayed him though, he could feel the heat on his cheeks.

Melissa gave him some of her selfmade pickles, which he appreciated a lot, but he just wasn't in the headspace to act normal yet. He didn't even thank her. Melissa was gone as fast as she came in though. Maru just raised a knowing eyebrow at him. He wasn't going to confess to her, putting it off as nonsense. But he well knew he couldn't fool her, she knew him from the years they worked together.

His head went from all lovey-dovey to concerned, embarrassed and even ashamed the last weeks. He couldn't control it and didn't know what to do at all. He didn't have feelings like these in what must have been at least a decade. He felt alive since Melissa came into his life, younger even. On other days he was just hyper-aware of their distance in age and felt like a total loser and creep. The fact that he was her doctor, and the only one within reach didn't make it better. He had his obligations. But he was head over heels for her. He had a feeling this wasn't going to end well at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh fuck upload days. I'm gonna spam you guys.  
> Please leave some comments if you like this fic, they make me happy and encourage me to make more :3
> 
> 'Give me something - Seafret'


	8. Flower dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First flower dance is a mean one.

It was hard for him to even get up in the morning. He forced himself up every day to see his patients. He even opened the clinic late on days, he didn't have any appointments, which was more than unusual for him. He ate microwaved food, if he even had anything. Some days he lived off of coffee alone.

His thoughts had tortured him, until he felt like complete trash. A loser, an old incompetent doctor, ugly ass bachelor who was doomed to be alone forever.

He worried about being too old, too boring, too ugly. And even on the slightest chance for Melissa to like him, it would be irresponsible for him to act on it, he was her doctor. People would talk, and he might lose his career.

She might have expectations he could not meet as well. She would dump him soon after even if he got to be with her for some miraculous reason. Like everyone did.

At some point his mind decided enough was enough and just went blank. It was a mechanism of self-defence. But as a consequence he didn't feel anything at all.

***

Melissa didn't approach Harvey anymore after she ran into him and Maru talking at the clinic, with Harvey looking startled and a visible blush covering his cheeks. She knew her crush was totally out of place. She threw herself into work and managed to grow so many crops, she was being occupied the entire day maintaining and harvesting them. Soon the flower dance was approaching, a local tradition connected to a spring festival. She didn't want to go, but people freaked when she told them “You have to come, Melissa!”, “There is no choice, Melissa!”, “You will enjoy it, just come”, “If I can't dodge it, you can't as well!”.

Yeah okay, everyone would notice if she didn't come and yet, did she care? She didn't want to be rude though, just because of a childish and senseless crush she had. So she learned about that event, it seemed to be very important with which person someone danced with, even though everyone seemed to know it didn't have to mean anything. Still, people would watch and talk.

There even was some sort of dresscode, which meant that all the girls had to wear white dresses. Stupid. She didn't even have one, and she wasn't going to buy one from her tight budget. She didn't even know where. So she decided to attend the event, but not the dance. She figured she would get away with it, since it was her first year in the valley. Who would she ask anyway. The only men she could possibly ask being Sam, Sebastian or...well, Harvey. The former two already had dance partners and she wasn't going to approach the latter and make a fool out of herself in front of the entire village.

With one final gaze into the mirror, Melissa checked that she looked good. She was wearing high waisted hotpants and a white blouse with slightly puffy sleeves. It was very warm that day and she didn't feel like wearing a dress at all. Maybe because it was the dresscode and she felt rebellious against that. Either way, she decided she looked good enough and couldn't delay her walk down to the forest any more.

She met Leah along the way and chatted a bit with her. When they arrived at the festival, it seemed like everyone was already there. So she headed over to Sam and Sebastian. Sam handed her a cup with punch and told her he liked flowers. He was so innocent and sweet. Sebastians mood wasn't nearly as good as Sams, he did dread the event and dancing in front of people.

While they talked, Melissa's eyes wandered around the place. It looked beautiful with all the flowers and even though she hated to admit it, but the dresses looked cute on the girls. Haley was outstanding though, she looked like a fairy in her gown. She even wore a flower crown, her hair beautifully waved and her eyes accentuated just right. She felt very aware of her lame outfit and while thinking this, the best moment of course, she found Harvey. Looking neat as always. She sighed and looked away, taking another cup of punch and drowning it. “Looks like someone can't handle she has no dance partner”, Sam said, winking. He was just teasing. Sam never meant to harm anyone. But still. Melissa rolled her eyes and went to the booth Pierre had set up. Of course he would sell things on a festival, what did she expect? She bought some strawberry-seeds from him and went up the field to stand under a tree. It was really warm, summer was clearly on its way. Mayor Lewis announced the dance was about to start and the pairs went to the clearing the dance seemed to take place on. She couldn't help but look at all the pairs. Most people didn't seem to be too excited, but everyone participated anyway. Some pairs just seemed to make sense. Like Alex and Haley. Or Elliot and Leah. Harvey and Maru. She thought she was getting sick, but she knew it was in her head. She watched them the entire dance and felt her heart break.

As soon as it was over, Melissa headed back to the buffet. Stuffing her face with everything in sight and getting more drinks than she probably should. “Yo, didn't know you were that much of a drinker.” She didn't notice Shane was standing beside her until now. “Am not, usually”, she answered with her mouth full. Shane just laughed at that and took a sip of his beer. “You knooow, this stuff is just reeeaaally goooood”, she recognized she was already speaking with a slur. “Whoops”. It seemed to amuse Shane though and they talked quite a bit. At some point he handed her a big glass of water and instructed her to drink it. “We don't want you throwing up in front the whole town on your first festival, do we?” She giggled and drank the water. “Thank you. Veeery kind of you.”

“Now, do you want to tell me why you keep staring at doc moustache?” Melissa choked on her water, coughing badly. “Huh, didn't see this coming? Did he do something weird? He's totally a weirdo. Don't fret it.”

It was getting late, and Melissa didn't care about anything anymore. And she surely didn't want to talk about Harvey. So when she caught her breath she just nodded to Shane's statement and said “I am. 'M going home.” Shane laughed again. “Like this? You're not going over this board laying over the cliff Lewis calls a 'bridge' in your state. No one ever got trashed like this on this event like you, Bruckner, you know?”

Whoa, he knew her last name? But that wasn't important at that moment. “So what? What 'ya sayin I should do?”

“I'll keep you company. Guide you over that bridge. And take you to the southern end of your farm. I guess you'll get up the rest on your own.”

“Ooh, I didn't know you were such a saviour deep down, Shane~”

She grabbed the arm he was holding out for her and they went back through the forest. At Marnies ranch, he asked her how she felt. She was okay though, she even managed to talk normally. So he let go of her arm, and the warm feeling of being taken care of left Melissa. “So, see you around, farmer. Don't trip over your feet.” She smiled shyly and waved. She was happy she made some contact with Shane, and thought to herself that she knew he wasn't so tough under his shell. She hoped, she wouldn't have forgotten all of it in the morning. Though she wanted to forget about seeing Harvey and Maru together.

At the cabin she just fell into bed, scenes of Harvey and Maru dancing playing in her head.

She cried herself to sleep once more.

***

“Are we still keeping up on our agreement or are you gonna ask her?”

Maru approached Harvey who was standing under a tree at the side of the clearing.

He was looking over to Melissa from time to time. It didn't seem she planned on participating at the flower dance. Not that he had the courage to ask her anyway. And it might reflect on him poorly, dancing with one of his patients and in addition someone quite a bit younger. Also, he didn't even talk to her for a while now. He rolled his eyes to Marus question and answered “We're still up. As long as you're not budging”. He winked at hear, meaning to tease her. “I'm not. No guys here that even interest me in the slightest.” Harvey saw her glancing over to Penny, with a blush on her cheeks. “Oooh, I get it. But you sure don't want to ask her?” She shook her head no. “I guess I get it” he added, sadness in his voice. For both of them.

Everything went as always, they danced, he engaged himself in some shallow smalltalk and felt out of place. He saw Melissa talking to Shane what seemed about the entire evening. He felt jealousness rising in his chest. He wanted to be there, talking to her, laughing with her. But that was not his place. When she left, clinged to Shanes side his head already started making up the weirdest stories. Like Shane fucking her senseless in the hay. And then breaking her heart, because he was a fucking alcoholic and couldn't even take care of himself.

 _Stop it_ , he whispered to himself and pressed his hands against his eyes. He shook his head and took deep breaths. He knew that feeling so well. Tight chest, a lump in his throat, shallow breathing and sweaty hands. Next he went to Maru, taking her aside from her family. “Maru, talk to me about some nerdy science shit. Please.” She could immediately see the state he was in. “Okay. Lets go to the buffet, get you some water and I'll tell you something about my new invention.”

They did so and Harvey calmed down. After a while Maru said “Harvey, I haven't seen your Anxiety that bad in years now. You don't need to talk to me about it. But you should call your friend some time. You know, the therapist one.”

A few moments of silence passed and Harvey sighed and nodded slowly. “I guess you're right. Thank you, Maru.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Listening to 'A troubled mind' by Noah Kahan. :)
> 
> Thanks for reading and leaving love ♥


	9. Summer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summer goes by quickly.  
> Melissa and Abigail get closer to each other.

Melissa woke up with a bad headache. She crawled out of bed and drank two big glasses of water. She sat down at her tiny dining table and stared into nothing. Her eyes burned from all the crying and her mind was blank. She decided to make herself a coffee and go shower. She turned on her coffee machine and went into the bathroom. She stood under the hot water and all her feelings from the evening before seemed to wash away. Only sadness and a feeling of emptiness remained. She decided to try and mentally distance herself from her feelings towards Harvey. It was nice while it lasted and it seemed to be time to move on now.

She remembered how nice Shane had been to her and decided to dwell on that, not on the negative.

After she drank her coffee her headache was almost gone and she could get some work done. More slowly than usual, but that was okay. She was her own boss at last.

***

Summer was a blast. The weather hot and moody, the crops growing wild. She totally had taken too much upon her shoulders, but all the work kept her mind busy. On rainy days she often met up with Abigail, playing video games or going to the mountain lake and watch the raindrops fall onto the perfectly sleek surface of the water. Or listen to her playing the flute or violin.

Otherwise she felt pretty lonely during the season.

She didn't think too too much about Harvey. But she masturbated a few time to fantasies including him. And always felt very embarrassed afterwards.

One late summer evening where she was hanging out at the graveyard with Abigail – a weird little quirk of her – Melissa told Abigail about her crush on Harvey. She already felt a bit calmer about it, but not being able to talk to anyone about it made it so much harder to get over him. She told her about her heart racing, about his kind eyes, warm laughter. But also about him being distanced suddenly and blushing talking to Maru and dancing with her at the flower dance. Abigail didn't interrupt or judge her at all. She just held her as she cried, rubbing small circles on Melissa's back. As if her brain just had waited for Melissa to open up about it to someone, it all started to weigh her down less.

Being completely open to Abigail drove them even closer and Melissa enjoyed being with her. Though when they hung out with other people their age, she always felt out of place.

She seemed to have a completely different outlook on life and valued her work much more than the others. Maybe because she loved what she did, but also it seemed she was just at another place in life. She had very differing experiences in life than the people living in the valley the majority of the time or even their entire lifes. Abigail was no exception. But she inspired Melissa and she seemed to inspire her in return. At some point Melissa started to think, she was flirting with her. She wasn't quite sure and didn't know if Abigail was even doing it consciously. But it was fun and freeing somehow, so she just went with it. She really liked her and thought she was an attractive and interesting girl. She enjoyed the occasional touches, like sitting so close their legs touched, or a hug when they hung out with Sam and Sebastian. Sometimes she would lay her head in Melissa's lab and stare up to the stars. It made her eyes all twinkly and Melissa found herself playing with Abby's hair and looking at her face.

***

The last day of summer approached very fast, but concerning her workload Melissa wasn't only not surprised, she also was looking forward to starting anew for autumn. She really overworked herself, not following her doctor's orders he gave her when she moved to Pelican. But she was still standing, and she was able to make at least so much profit that she didn't have to worry about living through winter. If not everything went wrong in autumn that was, but she was getting more confident in everything working out somehow.

She really made her new life work. And even though she often felt lonely and still had some sort of a broken heart, her life in the valley was so much better and more fulfilling.

This day Melissa was very excited. She had less work, because a lot of her summer crops had already been harvested and it was not the time yet to plant her autumn crops. So she could spend the day slow and in the evening she would see the famous lunar jellies. From how it was described it must have been a very magical and dreamy experience. The air was nicer that day as well, less humid, not too hot anymore but it was still nice and warm.

Melissa arrived at the beach at sunset. Almost no one was there yet. Only Willy and Lewis standing on the dock. Alex starting a bonfire for the evening. And Harvey. Sitting on a small blanket at the other side of the beach. He looked at her for a brief moment and raised his hand to greet her. A small and hollow smile on his face. She waved back and looked away quickly. Pain in her chest again. She walked to the dock, the one to the side of the main part where the fishing hut was. She didn't want to hear the smalltalk of the Mayor and she needed to breathe and clear her thoughts.

The sunset was beautiful, the sky turning the sea into all kinds of orange and pink colours. Melissa took her sandals of and let her feet dangle into the water. She breathed in the salty air. Felt into the warmth on her skin. She felt better quickly.

She learned that being present in the moment and being more mindful helped her be happy. She used that as a coping mechanism for stress when she was in the city, to not entirely burn out. Now it helped her with her pain. And she felt grateful for being right where she was.

She spent the evening with the usual three. When Lewis gave the sign to let out the boats that would attract the glowing jellies Abby sat down close to Melissa.

Melissa had seen Harvey come to the dock where most of the villages' residents stood. She watched him standing alone for a few minutes until his glasses were reflecting light. He looked so unapproachable. How fitting.

She turned her head to the water and saw the first glowing jellyfish in front of her. And then another one. Until the entire sea was glowing. “Woah”.

“Yeah, pretty cool, right? And people say magic doesn't exist”, Abigail said.

And that was all, they just sat there gazing at the ocean. The boys were already talking about stuff and Melissa could hear people start mumbling on the other dock. But Abigail and her just sat there in silence. When she looked over to Harvey again, she felt Abby take her hand into hers. Melissa quickly looked at her. Abby just smiled at her and put a stray strand behind Melissas ear. “You deserve more than this, Melissa” she whispered. Melissa felt electrified by her touch and for a second was very aware of her heartbeat. Not faster as usual, but she felt it. They noticed that Sebastian and Sam had stopped their conversation and looked back at the ocean quickly. Melissa heard Sam giggle but they soon talked about boardgames again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for the nice comments :<  
> I'm so happy T.T
> 
> 'Blindfold - Charlie Cunningham'


	10. Therapy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harvey calls an old friend to get help with is anxious mind.

Harvey finally managed to reach out to his friend John. They studied at the same university and had some basic courses together. He was studying to become a therapist while Harvey was picking up general medicine. He was the only one he still kept contact with from time to time.

John was with him during his first panic attack, and during all his shitty experiences with women. He always had space for his thoughts and some good advice.

But since they weren't spending time together anymore, Harvey felt bad for calling him just because he needed help. But that's what friends are for, right? And John told him he could always call him.

So he did.

Things were weighing down on him too much. Past experiences and fears almost breaking him. He noticed there were things he hadn't quite left behind when Melissa came into his life. He thought he could handle it, but he wasn't coping well. He fell into old patterns of self-isolating, spiralling thoughts and self-pity. So bad, it was paralysing him.

When things started to affect his work, he realized he had to do something. If he took pride in one thing, it was in being a good doctor.

But in his state it was really hard for him to reach out to someone. When Maru addressed his problem though, it was the push for him to finally do it.

Also he didn't want to have a panic attack ever again. And at the flower dance he barely just avoided one.

Of course, his friend was totally open and non judging, even happy to hear from him. They scheduled regular calls after their working hours. Once a week, John would call him so he wouldn't talk himself out of it. It wasn't therapy, but it was close.

It was his second conversation with John. The first one they just talked about how life was going for them and Harvey explained that his anxiety was affecting him very much these days. John knew that he had it less symptoms the last years and was doing quite well. But that he always felt that something was missing in his life. So he had been content, but never really happy. Harvey had always been a mind-driven person, but in younger years he had opened his heart to the wrong people. Afterwards he just closed it off, and had no real connection to his feelings anymore. At that time it was helping him to heal from the pain, but of course it was keeping him from finding someone. Harvey said he didn't need anyone, but they both knew that was not completely true. In fact, Harvey had always been a hopeless romantic. And he always wished for a family. Of course he was fine on his own, but he always felt lonely.

(J) “Okay, tell me how it all started. Did something trigger your anxiety? If I remember correctly, you were doing okay the last years.”

(H) “Uhm... Yes, I thought I was good. I get nervous easily and social gatherings still give me intestinal pain. But nothing, I couldn't handle. I often practice deep breathing, and if things get too stressful at an event I just excuse myself and leave. No one minds.”

(J) “But...?”

(H) “It's a little embarassing...”

(J) “Harvey, you can tell me. You know you can trust me and I'm here to help. Not to judge you. If you're not ready yet, that's okay though. Then we'll focus on your coping mechanisms.”

(H) “No I... I'm quite aware of my coping mechanisms and the things I'm doing wrong. I... I guess I need to talk about it.”

(J) “I'm listening. Take your time.”

(H) “You remember Lisbeth?”

(J) “Well, yes.”

(H) “Yeah, after I caught her with an other man, we broke up and I was devastated. She was the second woman that only wanted me for money. Who didn't see me, didn't even like me. She sensed that I was weak, she knew I would be at work a lot and I was about her age so I guess it wasn't the worst thing to make me feel like she cared and have at least some physical contact.”

(J) “Yes, that was shortly before you decided to leave the city. Like, about 12 years ago?”

(H) “Yes. After that I was very bitter about women in general. Which was not fair, but I couldn't help it. And with time I just buried my heart somewhere deep. Not that I'm not empathetic and feel for people. But like, romantic feelings just weren't a thing. Even the... you know... physical needs got less. It was okay. No feelings - no being hurt.”

(J) “But you know, you are keeping yourself from being happy like this. And Harvey, you deserve to be happy.”

There was a few moments of silence. Harvey really felt that. He gulped.

(H) “I do, right?”

He started crying silently.

They talked a while longer about him deserving to live and to experience real love. And that he was depriving himself from it. That sometimes the risk of hurt was necessary to feel alive, for the chance to be truly happy.

Harvey didn't tell John about Melissa yet. That she was his trigger. That brought up all those old feelings. That made him so insecure. The person he fell for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh well, looks like this fic will be having 23 chapters o.o  
> Who would have thought, definitely not me haha.
> 
> Sorry that this chapter is so short, but I wanted it to be about Harvey only. Hope you like it :)  
> Listening to 'hello my old heart' - the oh hellos.


	11. Beer and wine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Melissa wins a new friend.

Melissa was determined to take autumn more slow. It was said to be the most beautiful season in the valley. With colourful leaves, mild weather and famous wine.

She bought quite a few seeds, but not so much that she would need the entire day to take care of them. She decided she wanted to do more artisan activities. She got her hands on a few kegs at a dissolution of a farm at a close village. She drove there with Marnie and Shane, who also wanted to see what was there to snag at a low price. They loaded her truck to the brim and drove back really slow. They chatted about animals and both Marnie and Shane tried to convince her how easy it was to take care of a few chicken. Melissa could hear how his voice was a bit softer when he talked about them. When arriving at rainbow farm, Shane helped her unload her things and even setting up her kegs. Marnie already drove to her ranch and got to work there. She mostly bought smaller stuff and Shane promised to take care of the few heaver things later.

Melissa was really happy about this kind gesture. She hadn't met Shane since the flower dance, they only crossed paths sometimes when he was on his way to work or to the saloon. He had always been grumpy and never greeted her back.

But there he was, lending her a hand. He was the first person to ever “visit” her farm. It made her smile.

“What ya smiling about, Bruckner?” Shane asked. “Something in my face?”

She laughed. “No, but, technically you are the first guest on my farm”.

“'Kay.”

When they were done Melissa asked him if he wanted to come inside and drink something. He declined, he said he had to head down to the ranch to unload the rest of the stuff they got.

He turned to go and Melissa felt a bit disappointed. Yes, he was grumpy. But she liked him and with him she felt she could just be herself. Not so much out of place. As if they where on the same wavelength.

A few steps down she heard him say “Come down to the pier at the lake tonight if you still wanna hang then.” He didn't turn around to look at her but he spoke loud enough for her to hear.

The heavy feeling left her instantly and she grinned to herself.

Shane hadn't told her a time she should come, but he said 'tonight' so she figured she shouldn't go too early. She dressed in some comfy clothes and put a hoodie in her backpack. Might get a little chill. She packed a bottle of wine and some lemonade. And a small basket with peppers she had left from her summer harvest. Since she saw Shane eat pepper poppers at the saloon often she figured he would like them. She went down around 9pm, when she arrived at the pier Shane was sitting at the edge, legs dangling down. It looked like he had already downed a few cans of beer. “Yo”, Melissa called and came down next to him to sit down. She unpacked her things and handed Shane the peppers. He laughed “Oh my god you're such a farmer”.

“That a bad thing?”

“No. Actually, I like this about you. And I fuckin' love peppers.”

She smiled and opened her bottle of wine. They shared it and just kept quiet company. It was nice.

***

Melissa had some wine and beer brewing in her kegs, her cupboards bursting with pickles and her cabin just was way too stuffed. She checked her finances and decided it was time.

She had been discussing renovations and changes to her cabin with Robin for two hours until they figured something out that was in her budget. Robin clapped her hands together and was very pleased with her plan. Melissa felt a bit sick about the amount of money she would spent, but there was no way around it. She also was proud of herself, that she even was able to afford it. It dawned on her that moment, that she made it. She left her old life behind and started a new life in the valley. She was happy. She made a good amount of money. She made a few friends. Finally something felt right.

Maru came through the door, throwing her bag into a corner. So much to feeling good. Melissa already felt nauseous, just by seeing her. “Yo Melissa, you're still alive”, Maru said sarcastically. Melissa realized that she might have hurt her with her behaviour. And most likely... As well Harvey.

“Yah, guess I am. Are you free for the afternoon?” That surprised Maru, but she was, and she hadn't anything better to do. She liked Melissa and she knew she has had her hands full of work the summer. She was just hurt, since she thought they were on the way to become friends. Also she didn't like that Melissa was ignoring Harvey. But the doc himself was acting all weird so she couldn't really blame her for that. “Yeah, I'm free.”

They went back into Maru's room and Melissa apologized for not keeping up contact. She felt weird, knowing that Harvey had a thing for her. Not knowing if they were a thing. Not knowing if Maru liked him back.

They talked about this and that,but the weird feeling lingered and Melissa couldn't shake it off. She was jealous. But it wasn't Maru's damn fault. She didn't stay too long, but Maru seemed to be happy about their time together. “Are you gonna stop by the clinic some time again? In autumn we're still okay, but when winter comes it gets very busy. No time for chatting then.”

Maru wanted to lure Melissa to the clinic - to Harvey, to be specific. She didn't think this through but it would be something at least. “Maybe. I don't know, I have a lot of work to do on the farm. Doing smalltalk in the clinic is not one of my priorities in my free time.” She was plain lying. She wouldn't come. She had enough time to come. She would absolutely love to see Harvey. But it wouldn't be good for her. “Okay, I understand.”

Back home Melissa cried.

She went to see Abigail the next day. They watched movies and cuddled on her bed. Melissa felt numb. Abigail smelled nice and her hair felt soft in her hands. She stroked the bare skin on her arms. Abigail nuzzled into her neck and played with her hair. It wast he first night she slept over at her place. She had to leave after breakfast, but she couldn't bare the hurt and the feeling of loneliness anymore.

The workload was okay and Melissa focused on being grateful. Her feelings had become a rollercoaster, but she felt alive. She had been in the valley for a bit over half a year now, turned that old farm around, made some friends. Fell in love, fell on her face. Made a romantic connection with a friend. She suffered, she was happy, she was proud, she was anxious. She felt it all. And it wasn't the worst thing. It was all better than the numbness of life in the city.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're going a bit off track to make things interesting hehe.
> 
> 'Holocene - Bon Iver'


	12. Pumpkins and quarz

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Abigail sees her chance and takes it.

Days got colder. Melissa had her fields full of pumpkins that needed to be harvested. She knew that it was a lot beforehand, so she hired Shane for a day to help her. He was quite amused about it, saying he would have helped her without the money, but she insisted on paying him. It was a starvation wage, she knew that, but it was about principles. And she knew he didn't earn more at Joja. She made a note in her head to hire him again next year and then pay him well. With the renovations she couldn't afford it at that moment.

They talked shit about Joja all day, laughed about stupid things and made fun of each other. It didn't feel like work at all. At the end of the day they carved ugly faces into two pumpkins and put them up on Melissa's porch. She had fun. And she thought, Shane did have a good time as well. He even opened up to her about having a problem with alcohol and they agreed to not drink when they met in private. So they let the day fade out sitting on Melissa's porch drinking home-made ice tea.

Melissa dragged her barrow full of pumpkins onto the town square. She was wheezing, sweating and her legs got all wobbly. Such a stupid idea. But she made it.

Maru saw Melissa in front of the clinic, wiping sweat from her forehead with her sleeve. She got excited when she headed for the clinic with one pumpkin in her arms, but the farmer didn't come in. She just placed the pumpkin on the stairs and stuck a note on it. Before Maru even had the idea to go out and ask her to come in Abigail rushed over to Melissa.

Yeah, Melissa didn't have the guts to face Harvey. But she didn't want to suddenly disappear from his life without a trace. So she decided to gift him a pumpkin, since she heard the houses in town all put up carved ones to decorate for spirit eve. She stuck a note on it.

_Hey Harvey, Maru,_

_I had an amazing batch of pumpkins and want to gift you one for autumn decorations._

_Have fun carving it :)_

_Greets, Melissa_

Was it weird? She heard someone run towards her and was taken aback by a tight hug from Abigail. “O-M-G Melissa did you drag all of these over here by yourself? You're totally nuts I'm saying!” She giggled and kissed her on the cheek. Melissa felt the heat creeping up her face and had a prickly feeling. Simultaneously she prayed Harvey didn't see this. She didn't really know why. He obviously wasn't even interested. As if he would care.

Abigail helped her get one pumpkin to Evelyn, who was beaming from the gesture. They also took one to Gus and they heard Emily already making plans on how to carve it on their way out. There were two left. “Who are these for?”, Abigail asked. Melissa looked to the side shyly, her reddening cheeks giving her away. “Oh they are for meeee~” Abigail chanted and hugged her again. “I love carving pumpkins so much! Spirit's eve is my absolute favourite!”

“I know. Let's go and make a mess of your parent's kitchen.”

They carved spooky pumpkins, made pumpkin soup, ate together and planned their costumes for spirit's eve. Abigail had quite a fundus of costumes and was willing to lend Melissa a few pieces. They went to the graveyard after cleaning the kitchen (Abigail had thought about leaving it to annoy her father, but she decided against it because she knew in the end it was her mother who would clean it). They practised fighting with wooden swords. Melissa had a real sword in one of her chests. She got it from Marlon from the hunters guild, but she was far from ready to use it. They were sitting down on the floor exhausted when they heard a rustle. Pierre was angrily coming towards them. Of course, a heated discussion took place. Melissa tried to stay out of this, since she thought Abigail was overreacting. But also she liked Abigail for being emancipated and standing up against gender roles. “Melissa, we're leaving!” Abigail yelled and Melissa was frozen there for a second. She looked apologizing to Pierre and followed Abigail. Who was for real hiding in a bush. Melissa almost had to laugh at that, that was kind of childish. But Abigail dragged her with her and so they were sitting there. Very close. Abigail vented about her parents for a while, but her temper cooled down quite fast and they laughed at the whole scene. They sat there in silence for a bit, before Abigail turned towards Melissa. Their noses were almost touching. She could feel her breath on her skin. “You know, Melissa, I really like you. More than just friends.” Melissa held her breath. She liked her as well, felt attracted to her. But she didn't know where this should be leading. She was not over Harvey, and she never felt as strong about Abby as she did for him. It was unfair.

“I know you like me as well. I know you feel it as well. That there is something between us. You don't have to say anything. We don't have to label this, just see where it goes okay? Let's just be alive together. Enjoy ourselves. Hold each other and give each other what there is to give.” Melissa nodded slowly. And felt Abigail's lips on hers right after. Soft. Sweet. “Now help me untangle my hair from this bush, would you?”

***

“Abigail, huh?” Shane said to her. “Are you in love?” They were sitting on the pier at the lake in the woods again, spending the evening together.

“I... Don't know. I like her and she is very attractive. She feels good. This has to be enough for now.” She didn't know if she was explaining this to Shane or herself. She didn't promise her anything. She didn't initiate it. Still she felt guilty.

“Have you ever been to the mines Shane?”, Melissa changed the subject.

“No, why would I go there?”

“Dunno, I kind of want to go. And I need some resources I can only get there. I can't afford to pay Clint's prices for everything I need. And I hope to find some quarz or amethyst in there. For Abby's birthday.”

Shane suggested she talked with Clint, since he was going to the mines from time to time. He might show her how to do mining for a few bucks.

That was done, Clint showed her how to swing a pickaxe and how the elevator worked. There was an elevator every five levels down. But he said he wouldn't recommend going deeper than the first levels. A day later Melissa paid Marlon to show her how to defense herself with the sword, like for real. She learned some basic skills and decided to take up the entrance exam for the hunters guild. It felt weird, but she had to go down there if she wanted to scale her income. It was still a week until Abigail's birthday. She was sore from the training, so she decided to rest two days. Then go into the mines.

It wasn't as hard as Melissa thought, and she already found some clear quarz. She had hoped for an amethyst, but she didn't want to try her luck too much. She had to fight off a few bugs (they were huge!) and had her first encounter with one of the slimy little creatures she had been told about. It was a bit shocking to kill it. But also empowering. She felt brave and strong. She had no problems reaching the demanded level of the mines, but she was exhausted when she got out to sign in for the guild. She got a walkie talkie, which was kind of funny, but it was for emergencies. Which made her realize it was dangerous going down there for real. Shit.

She decided to buy an amethyst from Emily, who had quite a few crystals. She went to Clint and commissioned a necklace for Abigail. She had a clear image in mind, a short dainty silver necklace with the clear quarz, a middle length necklace in the same style with the amethyst. It wasn't too expensive since she brought in the crystals herself.

They celebrated at the saloon with the usual culprits, but also Maru, Penny and Leah. Gus had put up a small buffet with finger food and he was providing them with drinks. The saloon was open just for them, even though Shane managed to sneak in and drink at his usual place.

They played dart and pool, chatted over drinks and even danced a bit. Melissa gave Abigail her present in the back room where Gus kept all his drinks. She didn't want to make scene and wanted to see a genuine reaction.

“Oh my goodness, Melissa”, Abigail breathed. “That... It's the most beautiful thing I ever got.” She meant it. She took Melissa's face softly in her hands and kissed her fondly. “I'm glad you like it”, she said. “You know, not to brag but, I went to the mines for this quarz”, she smiled proudly. “Melissa, you are amazing. You fascinate me.” They kissed again and then went back to where the party was taking place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey,  
> I hope you don't mind me weaving in some innocent LGBTQ* content.  
> I really love it about the game, that you can be with whoever the fuck you want to.  
> No drama, no questions. Just love ♥  
> But don't worry, we all know what we're here for and I plan to deliver ;)
> 
> 'Love like ghosts - Lord Huron'


	13. Ouija-board

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harvey works on moving on.
> 
> Melissa tries to focus on Abigail.

(John) “So, how was your week?”

(Harvey) “Same as the last weeks. I got up, did my job. Nothing more, nothing less. But it felt less draining. I feel kind of numb still. How about you?”

(J) “Hm, I had a good week. A client made a huge step forward, which always feels good. And I found a new little cafe just 10 minutes by foot from my office. It mixes antique aesthetics with modern elements. You would like it. If you ever visit, we definitely have to go there!”

(H) “I would like that. I don't know when I will come back though. I really don't miss the city. But it would be nice to meet you.”

(J) “Yeah. But, let's focus on you now. What do you want to talk about today?”

(H) “Actually, I wanted to tell you about this woman.”

(J) “Hmm. I figured something like this. Go ahead, I'm listening.”

Harvey told John about his first encounter with Melissa. About feeling strongly attracted to her after seeing her a few times when she stopped by at the clinic. About her making him so damn nervous. About the physical contact (he spared him the details, but explained that he was obviously sexually attracted to her), and of freaking out about it. About their date, her warm and bubbly nature, her kind gestures like with the pickles and shortly she left a pumpkin for him at the front of the clinic. And that she insisted to pay half the bill at their date. About thinking she flirted with him, but not being sure. Because why would she? He told him about being afraid of his feelings, of being hurt, of being alone at the same time. About his fear of being incompetent or even losing his license, because she was his patient. About seeing her leave with Shane at the flower dance. About being torn right in the middle.

It all just flowed unfiltered out of his mouth. And he was hyperventilating.

(J) “Okay now, listen to me.”

(H) “ I just don't know what to do. My job is the only thing I'm proud of. The only thing I'm good at. The only thing I have. I can't risk this.”

(J) “Harvey. HARVEY. Listen to my voice. You now breathe in. Hold it. Breathe out.

And again. In. Hold it. Out.

Good. One more time.”

Harvey calmed down a bit.

(H) “I'm sorry.”

(J) “No, don't excuse yourself. You did nothing wrong. You have a lot on your plate there.”

(H) “Okay. Thank you.”

(J) “So, let's put things in order.”

John helped Harvey classify his fears into three main categories. The fear of losing his reputation or even license (job). The fear of being rejected or being let down (heartbreak). The fear of feeling empty and alone (loneliness).

This helped at least to make everything a bit less overwhelming. Harvey liked and needed structure. He even wrote all of this down, so he could look at it when his thoughts started to spiral again.

***

Melissa leant over the Ouija-board. Abigail was lit by candle light. Her hair glistened while she put a stray strand behind her ear. She really loved doing all the witchy shit. Melissa wasn't into it as much, but she sure knew about all the magic surrounding the village. She was seeing weird things, and while she first questioned her sanity, she soon read about similar things in old books of the library. It was spooky. The planchette moved from 'I' to '♥'. “LOOK! It's moving!” Melissa didn't really care, she just admired the excitement in Abby's eyes. She truly looked magical. 'M-E-L' That was when Abigail threw the board away frantically. She looked away embarrassed. Melissa hesitated for a moment, but then leant over and kissed her. Slowly, but open mouthed. How could her feelings be so damn twisted? She felt good, the new sensations sweeping away her worries and hurt. But at the same time, in the back of her head, Melissa felt that this was not what she wanted. She slid her tongue over her lips and Abigail let her in with a small sigh. They kissed like this for a while. Abigail was out of breath. “Do you... Want to change to the bed?” she asked her so quietly, Melissa almost didn't hear her. Melissa wanted to let go. Really, just feel into the moment and feel good for now. Abby knew what she was getting into, she suggested it, why did she worry so much? She stood up and held her hand out for Abigail. She took it and got up, fumbling with the hem of her shirt. Then taking it off. She had a black lace bra underneath. She looked stunning. Melissa took off her shirt as well and they laid on the bed. Melissa's doubts faded into nothing. They kissed and stroked the bare skin. Arms, sides, chest, neck. Melissa then started kissing her neck, which had Abigail moan sweetly. She let her hand wander over the lace, finding her nipple and circling it without pressure. She moaned again. Melissa pushed the fabric aside and touched her now bare breast. She wandered down to stimulate her with her tongue. She was quite aroused by now. Her hand trailed down towards the hem of Abigail's leggings when she stopped her. “I, I don't know if I'm ready for this”, she breathed. Melissa let her hand trail up again. “Okay.” They continued kissing and touching each other, but not going further.

The next morning Melissa had to leave very early, because she hadn't planned on staying the night. She shook Abigail lightly. “Abby, I have to go.” She hummed, still half asleep. “I'll see you at spirit's eve”. She kissed her on her forehead and made her way out.

She got home very quick. Did all of her chores. Under the shower she couldn't take it anymore, she was so fucking horny. She masturbated. Thinking of Abigail. But her thoughts trailed off to images of Harvey. Then Abigail again. She wanted to think of Abigail. She thought of her soft skin, her sweet smell. Imagined her face buried between Abby's thighs, feeling her. Tasting her. Her orgasm washed over her quickly. Not very intensely, but it released some of the pent up tension from the evening before. But at the time, tears streamed down her face.

The next days were just as usual. Lots of work and errands. The bag with a lot of Abigail's clothes and props was still sitting untouched on her couch. After working too much for a few days again, Melissa decided to take it more slow today and rummage through the stuff. She laid it all out on the floor, eyeing everything. She settled for a brown corset, a grey medieval blouse and a pair of elf ears. She crafted a tiara from wire and a piece of fire quarz. It was too tiny to sell, but it looked nice as the center piece for her tiara. She had a charcoal leggings in her closet she could wear with these pieces. Cool, still two days until spirit's eve and she had a quite nice costume.

***

(J) “So, let us go over everything again.”

(H) “Okay.”

(J) “So, what in life do you get without risking anything?”

(H) “Nothing. Nothing really good at least. Nothing new.”

(J) “Exactly. What is the worst thing that can happen. Realistically, Harvey. Considering that woman is a nice human being, that doesn't seem to want to harm you.”

(H) “I get rejected. Someone might misread things and report me.”

(J) “How likely is the second part?”

(H) “Not very likely, people around here know me. And they know how life in a small town like this is.”

(J) “What happens if you're being rejected?”

(H) “I feel like shit. So, nothing, really. Things won't change. At some point, they might go back to the status quo I had before.”

(J) “What happens if she is interested?”

(H) “What?”

(J) “Yeah. She might be, right? Entertain that thought. From this point, things can only improve for you. Talk to her, when you feel ready of course. But do it. And think about what could change. Things will change for the better, Harvey. And you're not alone in this. You can call me anytime. If you need me after talking to her, give me a call.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bear with me.  
> In the next chapters everything blows up.
> 
> 'Promise - Ben Howard'


	14. Spirit's eve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things go south quickly.

She painted her eyes a light brown and put on a dramatic eyeliner, which made her eyes look longer. She made her nose look narrow and her cheekbones really stand out. She put on a smudge proof lipstick in a dark red colour. The quarz in her tiara was of a dark red as well. She painted her nails the same colour and braided two strands of hair to the back. Stuck on the elf ears. She checked herself out, she looked damn cool. She had an old pair of brown lace-up leather boots. And the corset made her boobs look really nice.

It was 9pm, the festival would start at 10 in the town square. So Melissa poured herself a glass of the wine she made herself. It was a bit too acidic for her liking, but it was also fruity. She had to make some adjustments on her next batch. She watched some shitty horror show on her TV until it knocked on her door. Shane stood there, dressed as a zombie. “Woah” she heard him say as she opened the door. “You look fucking hot, Bruckner. Trying to seduce someone today?”, he winked at her. She wasn't planning anything like this. Though she wanted to impress Abby, and also to her embarrassment, Harvey, if he happened to see her. “And you look like this one morning I found you passed out in front of the farm”, Melissa teased him. He bumped her side with his elbow, but he grinned at her. “Bitch”. She laughed and they started to walk towards town. But Melissa was already in her head again. She trusted Shane, even considered him her best friend already. So she decided to not put up a wall by playing it cool, instead she wanted to be vulnerable with him. To show him that she trusted him and that he could be open with her as well. So she stopped in her tracks, which had him turn around and look at her questioning. “You know, maybe I am... A bitch...”, Melissa said sheepishly, looking to the ground.

“What? I was just teasing, you know that.”

“Yeah but... Can I talk to you about something?”

“Of course. I don't really care about that festival. And it only starts at 10, nothing is scheduled for that evening. Not that I would give a shit about things anyway.”

Melissa opened up about Harvey to Shane. Admitted that she had a fucking huge thing for him. First Shane laughed, but he soon understood she was being dead serious.

“What about Abigail?”, Shane asked her.

“I really like her. More than just as friends. But I think, I don't love her, you know. I never told her I would, and she knows about Harvey. But things flow easy with her and she takes my mind off of the pain. She didn't push any expectations on me. Yet I feel like I'm completely being an asshole.”

“You're not, Lissa. You've been playing with open cards from the very beginning.”

 _Lissa_. That was what her granddad always had called her. It felt soothing.

“But, why didn't you reach out to doctor Harvey? He's the kindest guy the world has ever seen. Not a big risk besides making a fool of yourself in front of him you know? I don't really like him, but he would never hold that against you. Things would be weird for a while, but time does the trick you know. ”

“Are you serious? He's the fucking doctor! He most likely could have anyone he wanted! In addition I'm quite a bit younger than him. Also, I've seen him with Maru, you know...”

Shane bursted into laughter. Melissa was totally taken aback.

But she didn't have a chance to ask Shane what was so funny, because Abigail came looking for her. Melissa was getting angry, Shane wiped his tears from laughing away and cleared his throat. “What's up”, Abigail asked. “Nothing” Melissa answered annoyed, “he's just being an asshole”. Shane started laughing again and Melissa tried to ignore it. “You look amazing, babe”, Abigail complimented Melissa and she got goosebumps. Babe. She gulped and tried to shake off her twisted feelings. Abby gave her a small peck on her cheek. Melissa mustered her, she was dressed as a witch, what else would she choose? But she looked stunning and Melissa told her so. She wore a glittery black dress that was torn at the hem. Some very pointy boots and a huge witch hat. Her eyes were beautifully enhanced by her makeup. Shane was already a few steps ahead of them, still giggling. “Let's go, shall we?”, Abby suggested and they went to the festival.

***

Melissa made her way around the festival on her own, Abigail joined Sebastian.

It was very creepy. Especially the walking skeletons were intimidating her. Most of the villagers thought it was some sort of hocus pocus, but Melissa knew the hunters guild and was a few floors down the mines. She totally believed these things could be living down there. She decided to take on the maze and was really excited about all the effort they put into it. The decorations were amazing and a lot of distractions were being set up. The only persons that made it to the center were Sam and Alex. But they couldn't find anything and it was being said there was a prize somewhere. At a dead end was a sign with a question mark drawn on. Melissa stood there for a while, searching for something in the leaves. After her efforts turning out fruitless she closed her eyes. She had heard, the wizard was behind this and was sure, some magic was involved. Real magic. She felt and heard into her surroundings. She felt a slight breeze from the dead end. She shot her eyes open. That was impossible! She went straight to the hedge and sooner than she realized she was standing on the other side of it. She had to go on through a very dark cave she didn't even know existed up here. But she had a small flashlight in her pocket. And then she saw the chest. But underneath seemed to be a bottomless pit and glowing red eyes were staring at her. She very carefully pointed her foot towards the pit. The eyes followed, but didn't move. And then she touched the ground. _Wow. It must be an illusion._ She went ahead, even though her body was trembling.

Melissa went out of the maze, proud as fuck. She met Abigail at the front of it, who seemed to have given up. “Abby, look!” she shouted towards her. “What the FUCK Melissa! You found the fucking prize?!” she was screaming. And Melissa was grinning like an idiot. She held a big golden pumpkin in her hands.

Melissa was standing with her back towards the maze, Abigail coming towards her. She saw Harvey approaching from inside the maze. She cupped Melissa's face with her hands, leant over the pumpkin in her hands and kissed her fondly. Melissa was a bit paralysed by that, they had never kissed or anything in public. Then she heard someone clear their throat. And a well known, deep voice greeted them: “Good evening, ladies. Happy spirit's eve.” Melissa's heart sank and she immediately felt sick. “Ohh hello doctor Harvey, didn't see you there. That is _so_ embarrassing.” Abigail was lying, she was consciously making a scene there. Harvey passed by without even looking at Melissa, saying “No worries, have fun.” Melissa felt like she was about to throw up.

Abigail turned to look at Melissa and saw the state she was in. She immediately regretted her idiotic behaviour. “M... Melissa?” she asked subdued. “I... I think I'm going home” she said toneless and went down towards the center. She walked towards Shane who was – of course – standing at the bar. She handed him the golden pumpkin. “Get something for Jas from it” she plainly said, chugged down a drink and headed towards her farm. She passed Harvey who seemed to be leaving for the clinic. “You look pretty cool, Harvey” she pressed out and went ahead. She meant it. She had to say at least anything to him. He wore an old lab coat with a lot of 'blood' on it and a stethoscope, looking like a doctor from an old apocalypse movie.

She went home and washed away her emotions with her wine. She threw up twice. She cried, laughed and pitied herself until she fell asleep on her couch.

The next day she felt trashed. So bad, she didn't know she ever was so sick after drinking too much. She blamed it on her wine and her stomach turned at the mere thought of it. She ran to the bathroom and threw up again. Oh well.

She made herself some soup and rustled through her cabins. She didn't have painkillers anymore. There were a few options. Ask Shane, but she didn't want Marnie to see her like that. Ask Abigail, but she really didn't want to see her. Sebastian – too far away. Sam – Jodi would so judge her and Melissa would become town's gossip faster than she could even blink. Go to the clinic and get some. That felt like choosing between pest and cholera. It was thursday, so Maru would be at the clinic. She may not have to face Harvey. She had to get the painkillers, she was not bearing the pain well and she had a shit ton of work to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spam over.  
> I hope you liked it though :D
> 
> I need to get this fic out of my system.
> 
> 'Oceans - Seafret'


	15. Broken hearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> His heart was hammering in his chest. He touched the glass of his window with his fingertips.  
> The cold feeling was soothing. Had they been talking about him?

Harvey felt broken. He didn't see this coming at all. He thought Melissa might not be interested in her romantically, maybe even had a thing for Shane. He thought, they might be “fuck-buddies”, as he heard the younger folks say. He had seen her with Abigail a lot, but he didn't think anything of it. For once he didn't. That's heteronormativity for you, he thought. But he was just rationalizing away the big ass lump growing in his throat.  
He couldn't look away first. He wanted this. He wanted her so badly.  
He had actually planned to talk to Melissa that evening. To ask her if she wanted to meet again. So much about that. With all his might he put on a pokerface and made it look like he didn't care. They couldn't see the clenched fists inside his pockets.

He talked to Maru about going home, so she wouldn't be searching for him when he suddenly disappeared. Just to be safe, even though he didn't think she would actually do that. She gave him a weird look because of his change in mood, but she was tipsy and had eyes for Penny only, so she didn't ask or think further. He strutted towards the clinic to shut himself in and give in to his feelings. It didn't help that on the way Melissa stopped to compliment him. She meant it, he could hear that. But what did that mean anymore. In addition she looked about as miserable as he felt.  
He had a full on breakdown, right after he closed off the door to the clinic. He lent against the cold door with his back, sliding down to the floor. With trembling hands he managed to call John, even though it was late. He guided him through all of this. Stayed with him on the phone half the night. Harvey didn't sleep at all.

***

Melissa stood in front of the clinic. She inhaled deeply and opened the door.  
Harvey stood behind the counter, staring into his huge cup of coffee. His eyes went up and he didn't even force a smile. He stared at her blankly. His eyes were red and he had very dark circles undeneath. He looked worse than she felt. And she felt like shit. Her stomach turned by seeing him and the pain in her heart was even worse than the one she wanted to get painkillers for. She thought she was about to throw up again, but she just gulped and said with a broken voice “Woah, Harvey. You look like shit. You sure you should be working?”. Her concern for him was bigger than anything and she hoped he could hear it in her voice. “You're one to talk”, he blurted. “Yeah, I know. Sorry”. Wow. She felt tears forming in her eyes and quickly looked down. “I need painkillers. I'm at least as much of a mess as you and need to work anyways too.” He went to the back, packed something and handed her a small paper bag. “You're just hungover, what do you know” he said quietly. He was being defendant, he knew that. And risked being mean and cold-hearted. His heart broke even more when she looked up again to meet his eyes. Tears were streaming down her face now and he cursed himself to death inside his head. He wanted to disappear right where he stood. What did _he_ know?  
“You really think I get this messed up just for fun?”, Melissa cried. “What do I owe you?”  
“I'm sorry, I... I shouldn't have said that.”  
“What do I owe you, doctor Harvey?” she snapped.  
“Nothing, I... Take this as an apology”, he said sheepishly.  
She slammed 15 bucks on the counter and headed to the door. Which was almost double than what the meds costed. Then she halted at the door, hand on the handle. She breathed in. And slowly out. And again.  
Harvey recognized what she was doing. He felt bad.  
After about two minutes Melissa turned around and looked at him with teary eyes. “I'm not with Abigail. I wanted you to know this.”  
She left for the farm.  
Harvey stood perplexed behind the counter.

***

On Melissa's porch stood her golden pumpkin with a note stuck on.  
_Yo Bruckner, meet me at the pier at 6._  
_Bring peppers if you still have some ;P_  
_Shane_

It was 11 when she got home. Plenty of time to sober up beforehand. She decided to take the painkillers, drink as much water as she could take and sleep again. She didn't care about her chores anymore. She chugged down a lot of water and then poured the contents of the bag onto her table. Harvey, despite his irritated state, had added some vitamin-pills and some single packed fizzy tablets for minerals. She clutched the bag at her chest and cried again. Not the silent tears she couldn't hold at the clinic, she ugly cried. Loud, sobbing. Until nothing came out of her. She took the meds and went to bed again.  
She woke up again at 3, made herself a coffee and ate some pickles with bread. She felt better, but still shitty. Physically, mentally she was fucked. She decided to tend to her crops, since she did care after all. She did as much as she could before meeting Shane. She didn't manage to shower though.  
She put the pumpkin, a basket of peppers at which she had to smile and a blanket into an old wicker she found. She put on a beanie and a thick jacket, it was getting cold quickly now. She also packed a thermos with hot cocoa and two mugs and went to the pier.  
Shane already sat there, wrapped in a blanket looking like a homeless person. Melissa giggled. He turned his head. “When did it get this fucking cold!? I didn't think this through.”  
Melissa smiled at him warmly. She put down her wicker and hugged the ball of a blanket Shane was. She saw him blush slightly. “To what do I owe the honour of this?” he chuckled. Melissa hummed. “You're my best friend after all.” He turned his head away from her, now really red. He thought of saying something sarcastic, but nothing crossed his mind. He turned again and pulled her beanie over Melissa's face instead. She smiled wildly. “You really are something, Bruckner”.  
Melissa pulled out the cocoa and poured them both a mug. And she handed Shane her last peppers who just snagged them and buried the small basket inside his blanket cocoon.  
“You know, I meant it when I said you should take the pumpkin”, Melissa said after a while.  
“You're insane Melissa, you don't know what that shit's worth!”  
“Yeah, but it must be something, that's for sure. Take it. I don't care.”  
“Lissa, these things sell between 2 and 5 thousand bucks.” Shane really emphasized the word thousand. “Yeah? So what? You know, I really don't care about that shit. Then buy a present for Jas and take a whole month off from working at the shithouse. But don't you dare spending even a penny on alcohol you bastard. And finally start therapy. You're such a fine man, you should start seeing this for yourself.” He didn't say anything.  
They enjoyed their hot drinks and at some point the silence was weighing down on her. “Shane... Why did you laugh at me yesterday? That did hurt me, you know.”  
Shane looked at the water. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. This really wasn't about you. I just don't get what you see in doc moustache. You definitely see something most people don't. You know, since he has been in Pelican, he never even went on a single date. He didn't seem to be interested in things like that as well, and there has never been someone interested in him. Even I have a more exciting sex life than him. And before you say it, I see it in your eyes – no, he's not dating Maru. 100%, no. Trust me.”  
Melissa gulped.  
“Are you all messed up because of that? I really didn't know it was so serious.”  
“Yes, it is. But no. Abby kissed me right in front of him. He didn't even look at me. I really didn't want him to see this. But the worst thing was, he didn't seem to care, like at all.”  
“He didn't care? Melissa are you fucking blind? He always cares. That's what annoys me so much about him. Always! He always looks everyone straight in the eyes with this fucking polished kindness! If he ignored you, that's the biggest sign he _does_ care. Possibly way more than you thought.”  
Melissa gulped heavily, tears already streaming down her face again. She couldn't believe all of this.  
“I'm sorry to say this, but whatever you have with Abigail, you need to stop. You need to talk to Harvey. Like for real.”

***

Harvey didn't want to listen, but he could hear every single word. Melissa and Abigail stood in front of the clinic, right under the front-window of his apartment, it was late. He was about to head to bed and had a glass of water before that.  
“Melissa I'm so sorry. I didn't want to hurt you. I was acting stupid. I thought I was somehow superior to him, I wanted to show off, really. I shouldn't have done that.” Abigail was crying. “I somehow thought you were kind of over it. I thought... I thought...” she was sobbing.  
“No, Abby, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let that happen from the beginning. I feel like a complete asshole” he heard Melissa say. Her voice was shaky, but she wasn't crying. “You're not. You told me from the beginning and I said we didn't have to label this. I've gone too far.” There were a few seconds of silence. “Yes, you have”, Melissa sighed. “But the blame is not on you. And not on me either. But whatever we had, we have to stop this. I'm sorry.” Abigail sniffled. “I get it. And I guess you're right... You love him, don't you?” Melissa didn't answer. “I enjoyed what we had, for the time it lasted”, Abigail said, now a bit more steady. “I hope we stay friends. But we're both wrecked and I need time.” “Yes, I want to stay friends as well. And it felt good for a while. I will keep the good memory.” Melissa hugged her tight. “We weren't a good match to begin with, I guess”, Abigail said while opening the door to the store. “See you around then.” She didn't wait for Melissa to answer. Now he heard Melissa cry.

His heart was hammering in his chest. He touched the glass of his window with his fingertips. The cold feeling was soothing. Had they been talking about him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'If you only - Anna Leone'


	16. Opening up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harvey takes the initiative and finally talks to Melissa again.

In his next 'appointment' Harvey told John about everything that had happened. Why he had the breakdown, what he overheard in the conversation in front of his clinic.

(J) “I'm so sorry, Harvey, that all of this happened to you. Especially when you had just gathered up the courage to talk to her. But, you know I'm going to say this - as a friend - things just turned in your favour in the end, didn't they?”

(H) “I... I guess they did. If they talked about me, that is.”

(J) “Which is quite likely the case, right? I don't want you take up high hopes though. But realistically, things are open again and the odds might be on your side.”

(H) “I should at least apologize to her. And maybe, maybe I could ask her out again, if she's not mad at me.”

(J) “That's the spirit, Harvey. You apologize way too much, but this time an apology is due for real. But, and I don't like to say this, you also have to calm down. You can't make your wellbeing conditional on her.”

(H) “I know. The worst feeling though was not tied to her, but to me feeling powerless. To not go after what I want. I realized that. I need to prove to myself that I have what it takes. Not betray myself and feel what comes up, not suppressing it. No matter the outcome.”

(J) “Harvey, I think we're done. I'm still here to guide you, if you need me. But I think you won't need me anymore. Not as mentor at least.”

(H) “From the bottom of my heart, John, thank you.”

***

A few weeks had passed since the spirit's eve and the incident at the clinic. Melissa didn't have any crops. She was saving up for fixing the greenhouse over the year, but she couldn't afford it yet. She went down the mines a few times. To gather resources but also, to kill time. She wasn't up to seeing anyone but Shane.

Today, she had spent the morning in the mines and found quite a few geodes. She brought them to Clint to inspect them. He was able to get out a few pretty stones Melissa hadn't seen before. So she headed to the museum, to have Gunther tell her what they were. The stones weren't worth too much, but it added up. She still decided to donate them. “You wanna arrange them again?”, Gunther asked her and Melissa nodded. She enjoyed this. She colour-coordinated them, fully concentrated on the task at hand. She jolted when she heard a cough close behind her. “Oh, excuse me, I startled you.” Harvey. Melissa turned back to the crystals. “So it was you? Donating all of these?”, he gestured at the growing collection of crystals. She hummed approvingly. “So, you go to the mines? You know, it's dangerous to go there.” Melissa was done arranging. She turned around and looked at him, eyebrows raised, more provokingly than surprised. “Ehm...”, Harvey reached to his neck, looking to the side shyly. “I wanted to apologize. For my behaviour. You know... After spirit's eve.” “Don't fret it”, Melissa answered, but she was delighted honestly. “I wasn't quite the nicest being to you as well. I didn't even ask what was wrong. But I could barely keep myself together that day. I'm better now though, if you need someone to vent to.” Melissa felt calm. His apology vapored her anger which actually just came from feeling hurt. Still she couldn't bring herself to give him a smile just yet. She felt so vulnerable. “Thank you. I'm better now though as well. But... I also wanted to apologize for my general behaviour towards you.” Harvey looked down to the floor, fumbling with the coat he had hung over his arm. Melissa already felt the urge again to comfort him, cuddle him, make him feel safe. “Let's sit there, okay?”, she said nodding to the back of the library. There was no one in the museum or library but them and Gunther at the front desk, but she wanted to be out of earshot if someone came in. She wanted some privacy with him. “Yes, please.”

They went back in a nook where two armchairs were standing, the corner covered by shelves. Melissa patted her overalls before sitting down, she was very dusty from the mines.

Harvey immediately felt like apologizing again, for keeping her from her business, for making her sit with him even though she was in her work clothes, covered in dirt. She might not feel the most comfortable right now. But also he wanted to get this out. And he remembered John telling him not to apologize, but thank the person instead. Because it had a way more positive impact on the mind. For both of them.  
“Thank you for taking time”, he said. It was the first time he got a small smile from Melissa in return today. How could she still look so gorgeous? In her dirty clothes, hair messed up and dust on her face. He cleared his throat to gather his thoughts.

“I think I might have hurt you before. I... I was struggling hard with my anxiety the last months. It made me egocentric. When I get too caught up in my feelings I build walls. Push people away. I try to protect myself from harm, causing harm to others in return. And even more harm to myself. I realized that the last weeks.” Harvey had fumbled with the jacket now laying on his lab the entire time, not being able to look straight at Melissa. She was silently listening. When he looked up at her he saw her wiping away tears. His heart sank. He blinked rapidly, feeling his eyes getting watery as well. He reached up a hand towards her but decided last minute against it. But she caught him on it. Caught his hand, to his surprise. She was trembling.

“I'm sorry... I...”, she wiped tears again, smearing the dust all over her face, “I thought I had done something wrong. Crossed a border. Or that you just didn't like me anymore for some reason. And it hurt so bad.” A sob left her and she covered her mouth. Closed her eyes and tried to steady her breathing. Harvey waited patiently for her to calm down. Very aware of her hand in his. He felt calmer already, now that he had spoken his mind. He started to rub small circles on it with his thumb. She calmed down.

“I really like you, Harvey” she whispered, looking on his jacket. Now Harvey closed his eyes, breathing in a deep breath and squeezing her hand. He opened his eyes and looked at her. She was being super vulnerable with him, he could see in her face that it had taken her a lot to say this, and she looked at him with big, watery eyes. His heart was hammering in his chest. She didn't indicate in which way, but still it was going straight to his core. “Can we start over? I would really like to meet you again, do better. I can do better”, he said to her.

Melissa felt an intense urge to kiss him. But she didn't want it like this. Not coming from a moment of weakness they shared. She pulled his hand towards her and asked quietly “Can I hug you?”. He stood from his chair and pulled her into his embrace. She clenched at him, now sobbing loudly. It was so much. The weight from the last months lifted from her and she felt safe and understood for the first time. Harvey put his chin on top of her head, held her with one arm, stroking her hair with his free hand. They stood like this for a few minutes.

Melissa took a step back, rummaging her pockets fro a handkerchief. She blew her nose and laughed nervously. “I must look like shit”. Harvey shook his head no, but had to laugh anyway. Melissa wiped away the last remainders of the tears. Now calm. “I think I'm overdue a good shower. I'm heading home. Thank you Harvey, for seeking dialouge with me. Thank you for opening up. I appreciate it.” Melissa was already on her way, but Harvey shouted after her. “Wait! Melissa!”. She turned around. He caught up with her. “I – you know, flu season has just started and I have my hands full of work. I might not be able to reach out to you. But, how about we set a date to meet?” Melissa smiled at him. “I would like that.” They agreed to meet on sunday, a week from now. Melissa went to the front, Gunther thanking her for her donations. Harvey went back to the library, smiling.

At home, Melissa stepped out of her clothes and just put her fucking heavy backpack into a corner. She took a very hot shower, letting the water mix up with the tears that streamed down her face again. It felt like she was washing away all the hurt. She promised herself to never run away again like she did when she saw Harvey with Maru in the clinic.

She already worked on being more open since coming from the city. And she was kind of good at it with most people now. But she struggled so hard to be open with Harvey in fear of rejection. But it wouldn't matter anymore, how he did decide. How he saw her. She would have him in her life and be open. He wouldn't hurt her when she was vulnerable with him. They could be friends, no matter what. Melissa was sure about this now. Of course she still wanted nothing more than to be with him. To show him how much she cared. To show him, how attractive he was to her. To kiss him, to feel him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Without you - Ocie Elliot'
> 
> I made a playlist for this fic, I will add a link here for now so you can find it :3  
> [Harvey SV Fic Playlist](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5qbMAbsSOXNTf8NQ7IsXSc?si=4CrbfUDxRaiGe8SE9J2CWQ)
> 
> I tried and failed putting the songs in a fitting order, because there are just too many songs by now.  
> They are in some sort of order, but not really too much. You could just listen on shuffle or click on the song I chose for the chapter, if I added one.


	17. Did you bang him though

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Did you?

Weeks went by fast. They always did in winter, since Harvey had so much work. He could barely keep up, even with Maru working more. He went to see Melissa regularly, on sundays in the saloon or the library. They formed a real bond. After him apologizing to her, he felt better. So much better. He overcame his mental block and decided he had nothing to lose. He decided to take control, as much as he could. And practise not freaking about things that were out of his control. Which still was hard, but it would get better with time. She didn't care about money at all, she even treated him once to drinks. It was hard for him to accept, but also it felt like he was processing past trauma.

Maru knocked on his door and he almost fell off of his chair, because of being so lost in thought.

Maru giggled. “Sorry, I didn't want to startle you. I'm closing off the clinic now, I'm heading home. It's late, you should call it day soon as well. Lots of patients tomorrow morning again.” He sighed dramatically, then they both laughed. “You know, Harvey... I'm really glad you're back to normal”; she said and left.

Then she knocked again. _Weird_ , Harvey thought, She must have forgotten something. “What is it?”

***

Winter was so damn slow, it was driving Melissa mad. She enjoyed sitting by the fireplace, cuddling with her new cat, Marnie had talked her into keeping. She named him Lord Pawson, because of his behaviour. He really thought he was the king of the farm. But she usually just called him Mr. Stinky, because he was not leaving the house in the snow and Melissa could swear he pooped more than 5 times a day. She was constantly cleaning the litter box.

She wasn't going into the mines too much, to not disappoint Harvey. But she was enthralled by them now, trying to go as deep as possible. It also was her only way making money during the season, besides from fishing. Which was super boring and she felt like she would freeze to death like that. She wasn't sure how Willy could handle it.

She decided to do it anyway today, since there was nothing else to do. She went down to the ocean and caught quite a few fish. They were worth a nice amount of money, but she just couldn't get around to catch the Tuna, Gus had put up a request for. He was willing to pay a quite high price. So she stayed pretty late, selling her fish to Willy in between. She didn't realize it was so late already, since the sun set so fucking early these days. She dropped of her last buckle full of fish at Willy's, who had made an exception for her with opening the shop, since she was frozen to the core.

She then went up to go home. She didn't want to go the southern way to her farm, since it was lit pretty badly. But when she reached the town square she was shivering from the cold, so bad her teeth were rattling. She looked towards the saloon, she had to warm up. But then she heard the door to the clinic swing open, Maru was coming out. “Hey Maru”, she shouted over to her, “can I go in? Harvey still there?” Maru smiled widely at her. They were getting along way better now that Melissa wasn't as much in her head anymore. She held the door open for her. “Go inside. But I will close the door behind you, so no one comes in, we're finally closing off”, Maru said and gave her a quick hug. “What the fuck Melissa, you're icecold! In with you!”. Melissa heard the door being closed behind her. She rubbed her hands together, not taking off her beanie or jacket yet, because she felt like an ice cube. She knocked on the door to Harvey's office. “What is it?”, she heard him call. She was a bit confused. “Can I come in?”, she asked.

“Oh Melissa”, Harvey said while opening his door for her.”Oh my goodness, is it an emergency? Do you have frostbites? Are you undercooled?”, Harvey was obviously starting to over-react, fully in doctor mode. Melissa chuckled, “No, no, not yet at least. But I'm freezing! I don't want to go all the way home like this. I was contemplating going to the saloon, but then I saw Maru leave the clinic, so I figured you were still working. I wanted to see you. So, if you don't mind, I would like to warm up here a bit. Don't let me disturb you! I'll just sit here and keep you quiet company.” Harvey smiled and Melissa finally took off her jacket. She was taken aback a bit, but Harvey took off his lab coat and pulled her into a hug. He hugged her tight. Then rubbing at her back frantically, to warm her up. They both laughed and when he stopped, Melissa just leant into his embrace. Breathing in his scent. Staying there. She didn't care if she was being weird. It felt way too good to let it end. Plus she was getting warm real quick like this.

Harvey slowly distanced himself a bit from her. Melissa whined at the loss of contact. He smiled brightly at her. “Let me just finish this, then let's go to my apartment, okay?”, Harvey suggested, gesturing to a form he was filling out. Melissa nodded and sat down. She felt all the butterflies in her belly again, she had never been to his apartment before. The embrace made her light headed as well. He finished up, put the form away and stood up. “Well then, let's go. I'll just check the front door and turn off the lights, you can go upstairs, door's open”, Harvey said and Melissa went up. She opened the door and was overwhelmed. His scent was so much more present here. It was warm inside, warmer than in his office. His apartment looked neat. His interior was in a vintage style, but it was very clean. No clutter, just lots of books and model airplanes, a few winterstar decorations. She already knew he had a thing for planes and that it was his hobby to build models. But seeing it was different somehow. She let her fingertips wander over the wood of the parts that were laying out on his table.

“Excuse the clutter, I didn't expect any visitors” Harvey chuckled. “This is not cluttered at all, Harvey”, Melissa said. “I like your apartment.” Harvey's cheeks turned red. “You do? I'm glad.”

“Hmm, since you said you weren't at the saloon I'm figuring you have been out fishing?”, Harvey figured. “Yes. I don't know how Willy can take this cold and do that every day!”

“So, you didn't have dinner yet?”. Melissa's stomach growled at the mere mention of food. They both laughed. “Me neither. I don't really have anything here though. How about I go and get take-out from Gus?”

“That would be nice. Can I stay?”

“Yes, of course. Make yourself comfortable. I'll be right back.”

Melissa used the bathroom and then walked around and looked at his stuff. His kitchen was tiny, it didn't seem that he cooked a lot. Melissa made a mental note to cook him something for lunch some time. She went to his bed, skimmed over his pillow. Her head turned bright red and she went to sit on the couch quickly. Wrapped herself in a blanket and started to imagine how it would be, to come here often.

“I'm sorry it took so long”, Harvey panted, kicking off his shoes.

Melissa blinked with heavy eyelids. She had dozed off curled up in a blanket on his sofa. “Hmmmm?”

Harvey looked at her and saw she was barely blinking the sleep away. His heart was bursting with a warm, fuzzy feeling. He unpacked the food quickly and poured them both a glass of water. Melissa yawned and peeled herself out of the blanket. She sat down across from him, still half asleep. It was hard for her to realize what was going on. But she was with Harvey, so what did it matter? She drank a few sips of water and came back to the living. “Thank you, Harvey”, she said, her cheeks turning pink from the realization she had slept at his place while he was taking care of her. Harvey just smiled and dug in. So she did the same.

They cleaned the dishes together and Melissa saw it was 10 o'clock already. She didn't want to go.

“Harvey, I know, you have to work tomorrow, but... Can I stay a bit longer?” she asked him quietly. “I... I would like that”, he answered, blushing. They sat on the couch and watched some TV. Actually, none of them really watched. Melissa rested her head against Harvey's shoulder and traced patterns over his arms with her fingertips. Until Harvey took his arm away under her, to lay it around her waist. She nuzzled into his shoulder, starting to let her fingertips wander across his chest. She felt beautifully dizzy. They sat like this until some ridiculous show started on TV and Harvey stood up to turn it off. Melissa stretched and yawned. It was midnight. “Okay, time to leave”, she said half heartedly. She put on all her layers again, feeling like an Eskimo. Harvey squeezed her. They went down together, since Harvey had to open the door for her and close it off afterwards again. He stood in the door frame and Melissa kissed him on his cheek. “I hope I see you soon”, she whispered in his ear. They exchanged shy looks and he told her goodnight. Melissa stood in front of the clinic a few moments, smiling to herself.

“Yoooo Bruckner!”, Shane shouted. He was drunk obviously. “Did you finally bang doctor moustache?”

“What the fuck, Shane! What if someone hears you?” she yelled and quickly closed the distance between them so she didn't have to scream at him.

Luckily, no one heard them, but Harvey did. He had always cursed his front window since he could always hear all the conversations. But lately, it had come in handy.

“Shane, I don't even know if he likes me like that.”

“Are you dumb? Blind? Or just ignorant?” Shane laughed at her. “He dooooeees.”

“Shane, whatever, this is not the place! What if someone hears you talking shit?”

“I'm not talking shit. But whatever, why are you so cautious? Really, no one cares.”

“You know, Shane, he's a _doctor_.”

“That again? Lissa -”

“I am speaking, Shane. Let me finish. He's a doctor and you know, if someone gets this wrong he might get reported. Lose his career. You know how important the clinic is to him. How important his patients are to him.”

“That a thing that happens in the city?”

“Indeed. So shut your mouth, okay? You can talk shit to me whenever, but not about him, and not like this.”

“Got it, madam!”, Shane joked. But he got it. Melissa could tell.

“Now go home you piece of trash, you're disgustingly drunk.” She squeezed him tight though before sending him off.

Harvey was nothing less but impressed. He was head over heels for her anyways, but he didn't expect anything like this. Her being so thoughtful, respectful. Defending him and standing up for him. She calmed his last fear with this as well, worries about his career. She would never harm him. And her, handling Shane so well, managing to assert herself so easily. The tone she called him out with... He was getting hard. Did she want to ' _bang_ ' him, as Shane put it? He leant one arm against his window, cupped his growing erection through the cloth of his slacks with the other hand.

 _Entertain that thought_ , he said to himself. He undressed himself down to his boxers. He sat on the couch, where they had been cuddling minutes ago. He pulled out his dick, just holding it. He looked at himself. He hadn't done this in quite a while. And when he did, he never thought of someone specific. He hushed the voices screaming in his head that he was weird, incompetent. He thought about Melissa. Whispering into his ear. Her lips on his cheek. Her fingertips on his skin. On his shirt. In his pants... He was pumping himself fast. His grip got harder. He even bucked up his hips to meet the motion of his hands. He remembered her sighing his name, her praising him. His head fell back and he came, Melissa's name on his lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Everybody talks - Neon trees'


	18. Winter star

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The festival of love ♥

Harvey was so busy, he almost forgot that he still had to open the letter from Lewis with his secret gift partner for the winter star festival. One morning a patient didn't come and after giving them a call he dedicated himself to the growing pile of documents on his desk. He read, sorted stuff, took notes. In between was the letter for the winter star gift exchange. He always procrastinated opening it, since he really wasn't good at getting presents for people. It was about a week still, but now that he had it in his hands, he might as well open it.

It was Melissa. _Well, oh well._ Not only wasn't he good at gift-giving, he got the only person in the entire village he wanted to impress. Doubling the pressure.

He rummaged through his head for ideas, and before he spiralled too deep, he stopped his thoughts. _Breathe, Harvey. She likes you and she won't judge you. Just be yourself. Get her something you would like, or something practical. It's just a small gesture._

_***_

Melissa couldn't stop thinking about that evening with Harvey. She laid on her couch, eyes closed, conjuring the images and feelings in her mind again and again. The way he radiated warmth. His bare underarms, covered in soft hair. His soft skin. That he didn't flinch at all when she started tracing over his skin. She had decided to not hold back after he had allowed her to stay longer. Their embrace before, when she came to the clinic, already made her a bit more courageous. When they had met the past weeks they barely ever touched, besides a small hug when saying goodbye. Sometimes their knees would touch, or a hand brushed some skin while handing something to the other. Nothing more.

So she just took the opportunity and nuzzled into him, not giving a shit about what they were watching.

She still remembered his faint scent. Slightly wooden, a bit musky, a tiny tiny bit spicy, warm. Warm always crossed her mind when thinking about him.

She started softly stroking the skin on her neck, her arms, her torso. How would it be like, if he would touch her softly?

Melissa thought about the way he held her. She first thought he would pull his arm away, but he actually laid it around her, pulling her a bit closer. And she let her hand wander even more. He didn't flinch again. If she had stayed longer, she might have even placed a small kiss on his neck, barely touching him with her lips. Seeing how he would react. But it didn't come this far.

She sighed, she had hopelessly fallen for the man.

Her cat jumped onto her stomach, making her snap out of it. Melissa chuckled and cuddled him.

Melissa decided to go and visit him in his lunch break. She bundled up and stepped into the snow. She went towards town, the cold wind turning her cheeks pink. Maybe they were also that colour because she had a huge fucking crush.

She got three cups of coffee to go from Gus and went towards the clinic. She swung the door open and there was actually no one inside besides Maru. “Hey Melissa, good to see you!”, she greeted her. “Ooh, you brought coffee, you're a saviour! I can't see this filter coffee anymore. Harvey is in his office, you can go through. His next appointment is in about half an hour.” Melissa tried to ignore the weird grin Maru was giving her.

Melissa went to the back of the clinic and knocked at Harvey's door, but since it was slightly open she entered straight away. “Hi, Harvey”, she said softly. “Care for some coffee?”

Harvey turned around and smiled at her. “Oh yes, your timing is great! I was just about to start my lunchbreak. Do you want to come upstairs with me?”

Melissa felt heat creep up her face, but she was flushed from the cold anyway. Harvey was already going in the direction of his apartment, so she just followed not saying anything. Harvey hung up his lab coat and turned around quickly. “Oh, sorry, you've been holding the coffee cups the entire time!”, he said to her and took the warm cups out of her hands, so she could get her jacket off. His hands touched hers deliberately, lingering a bit. He was giving her the cutest smile at the same time. Okay, her head must have been beet red by now.

“Want something as well? I can offer bread only though”, he asked her a bit embarrassed. “Uhm no, thank you. I wasn't going to invite myself to you. I think I might visit Robin later, and she always makes me eat at their place and I'm not complaining”, she laughed. Harvey chuckled and made himself something to eat quickly. Melissa sat down and held her coffee in her hands, just watching him. When he came to sit down, she quickly looked somewhere else, but she was sure he caught her watching. He took a sip of his coffee, sighed pleased and started eating. Melissa turned to looking at the table, her cup and him in turns. He was eating the bread with one hand, the other lingered close to his coffee cup. Melissa reached out, halting close to his hand for a few seconds. She felt like electricity was flowing through her veins. Then she laid her hand beside his, just slightly touching him. He looked at her and smiled. With a blush he retreated his hand to take hers into his, rubbing small circles on the back of her hand with his thumb. Time was almost up already when Harvey finished his lunch. Melissa's coffee was empty already.

Harvey pulled back and put his dishes into the sink and threw away Melissa's empty cup. Melissa stood up with a small sigh and went to the clothing rack to pick up her jacket. She handed Harvey his lab coat when he came to her. He pulled it over again, standing very close to her. Then he took a big sip of his coffee.

Melissa giggled. “What?”, Harvey asked her amused. Well, he had a little bit of milk froth on his moustache. Melissa smirked at him and then lifted a hand to wipe it away. He leant down to her a bit. He was so close, Melissa could feel his breath on her face. She slowly wiped the froth and licked it from her finger, looking at him. She let her hand sink and leant forward slowly, her mouth slightly open, just hovering over his. She could see his lips were also opened a bit and as her eyelids fluttered shut it knocked on Harvey's door. “Harvey your appointment is here” Maru said loud enough for them to hear. Both of them recoiled and blushed intensely. “Eh, yes, Maru, I'm on my way” Harvey retorted while opening the door. “I was just about to head down.” Melissa got into her jacket while they were talking, looking somewhere else to not give away her shyness to Maru right now. Maru already went down the stairs and Harvey turned around to pull Melissa into a hug. “Sorry, I have to go” he said over her head. “No, no, it's fine”, Melissa answered quietly.

***

It was the feast of the winter star. Melissa had never seen anything like it before. She was used to celebrating with her family, but that an entire village came together? All the food, the laughter? She fucking loved this village.

She talked to Shane, sat with Sebastian, Maru, Robin and Demetrius for a while, and even hugged Abigail and talked to her a bit. When her eyes found Harvey, Abigail was pushing her in his direction. “Go steal his heart, Lissa”, she said smiling. Melissa turned around and hugged her again. She was so happy things didn't turn out weird between them.

“Hey” she said softly.

“Hi”, he answered. “Happy winter star, Melissa.”

She wasn't sure, how she should act with him in public. She wanted to give him subtle hints, touch him softly, be close to him. What would he be comfortable with? “Can I sit down?”, she asked and gestured at the empty chair to his side. “Of course!”, he said and put the chair back for Melissa to sit. He was blushing, but looked her in the eyes. She saw more than just kindness in his eyes. She saw kindness, joy, curiosity and, she was almost sure of it, love. Her heart bumped. She grabbed his hand under the table and squeezed it. She wanted to kiss him, in front of everyone. But she didn't. He took her hand in both of his and they just looked at each other. Melissa heard Clint clear his throat and mumbling “I'm going to the buffet”, or something.

The world around them blurred. Melissa looked at his lips. They looked so soft, inviting. His tongue darted over them and Melissa shivered. She inhaled sharply and turned her head. She grabbed a glass and poured herself some wine. “You want some?”, she asked Harvey. He chuckled and nodded over to the glass in front of him. “I'm good, thank you.”

Harvey had made his decision, and immediately he felt more confident and comfortable. She hadn't been hiding the way she enjoyed his presence, his touch. She even took every opportunity to touch him in some way. He saw the impact he had on her clearly now, making her nervous with him showing his feelings. She was so out of focus that she didn't realize he already had a glass of wine right in front of him.

She took a sip and Harvey let go of her hand. He grabbed inside the pocket of his coat and fished out a present. He placed it in front of her. “I'm your secret partner for the gift exchange”, he smiled. Melissa's eyes went wide. She was nervous to open it. The package was wrapped perfectly, in brown paper with branches printed on. She opened it carefully. Inside were two pocket warmers and a small bag of a special coffee blend. Melissa laughed. “It's nothing special, but I hope you like it”, Harvey said shyly. “It's perfect”, she said and thanked him. She loved coffee and the warmers would come in handy. And it was so him, that it made her happy.

They talked about work, that they had opposite cycles of workload. Harvey drowning in work in the winter and being free almost all of summer. That he had to save up for summer every year. That Melissa was bored and had nothing to do. And that she saved up the whole year to get through winter. They laughed. “You know, I decided I want to make lunch for you next week and we could eat together during your break. How does that sound?”, Melissa suggested smiling. “Really?”, Harvey asked amazed, “That sounds great.”

While they were talking, Melissa lifted one of the warmers out of the package of her gift. Harvey was following her movements with his eyes, but Melissa didn't notice. There was a small piece of paper underneath, folded neatly. She looked at him, who nodded to encourage her folding it open.

She unfolded it. His script was neat. Like everything about him.

Melissa folded it back together, putting it carefully into the box again. She turned her head to Harvey slowly, looking him straight in the eyes. Then she leant over to him, grabbed his face and kissed him. His eyes were wide, he inhaled sharply through his nose. And then he closed his eyes and leant into the kiss. Melissa kissed him passionately. How she wanted this moment to finally come. He let her in so easily when she tried to part his lips with her tongue. They touched tongues slowly, withdrew them, to touch again shortly after. It was bliss.

Even though every sound reached her only muffled, she heard Gus clap once and laugh warmly and Shane shout “Go get him, Bruckner!”. Some people gasped.

Harvey had to pull away to catch his breath. His head was bright red, but he smiled widely at her. Melissa's head was spinning. She couldn't believe it. This marvellous man was hers now. This unreachable, beautiful, intelligent, caring, kind and fucking sexy man wanted her.

Harvey put a stray strand of hair behind Melissa's ear and she nuzzled into his hand. They just looked at each other, both smiling brightly.

Melissa didn't really notice how the rest of the day went by. In her head was Harvey and Harvey only. She didn't have the mind to notice anything but him. It was suddenly late, almost no one was there anymore, besides Gus who was gathering the remainders of the buffet, the Mayor, rattling through some things somewhere and Marnie helping him. Harvey and Melissa were standing on the stairs to the clinic. He leant down to kiss her again. Melissa clenched to his coat for dear life, because she felt like passing out. He held her. They gasped between their kisses, just to continue kissing each other desperately. After a while they hugged again.

At some point they decided to go home. It was cold, and they were both tired from all the social contact, from the feelings raging through their bodies and all the excitement. Harvey took her hand and kissed it. “Sleep well”, he said oh so sweetly. “You too”, she whispered softly.

Melissa went home with a spring in her step. She grabbed some snow from the side and pressed it to her face. She squealed and jumped like a teenager in love. Then her hands burned from the cold and she went ahead. Back home, she cuddled her cat, danced through her kitchen and took a mildly cold shower. She placed her gift on her nightstand.

_'Do you want to be my girlfriend?'_ was written on the note inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Quiet little voices - We were promised jetpacks'


	19. Lunchbreak part two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's gettin' hot in here ~

Melissa didn't waste any time. She had to see him again.

Everyone still had their days off, but she knew Harvey had to work again already. So she rustled through the kitchen all morning, cooking pumpkin soup and baking bread. She put the soup in a big thermos and wrapped the bread in cloth. She was ready at noon and went to the clinic. The bell chimed as she stepped into the clinic. Harvey called from the back “One minute, I'll be right there with you”, and Melissa put the food on the front desk, hung her jacket on the clothing rack at the waiting room and put off her gloves. She left on her beanie though, she thought it looked cool.

“Melissa!”, Harvey called pleasantly surprised.

“Care for some lunch?”, she asked him gesturing towards the thermos. Harvey laughed. “I didn't expect this so quickly!”, he said amused. Melissa turned red and chuckled. Harvey leant over the front desk and gave her a small peck on her forehead. “Honestly, I just couldn't wait to see you. But if the timing is bad, I can leave this with you. It should keep warm for a few hours.” Harvey shook his head and went around the front desk to kiss her fondly. “No dear, the timing is perfect”, he purred. _Oh good Yoba._ Goosebumps had formed on her skin _._ “I'll just hang up a sign to ring the bell quickly and we can head up. My last appointment for today left a few minutes ago. Not too much to do during the holidays.”

Melissa gathered her things and went up already. She placed the thermos and bread on the table and pulled out bowls and spoons from Harvey's cupboards. She decided to take off the beanie, since it was nice and warm at his place. She hung it up and ruffled her hair, so it wouldn't be so flat from being pressed down. She poured herself a glass of water when she heard steps coming closer. She took a sip, put the glass down on the dining table and turned around, to look at Harvey.

When he came up, Harvey hung up his lab coat as per usual, opened the first two buttons of his shirt and loosened his tie with a small sigh. He was way more comfortable like this and it was some sort of routine at the end of a workday. When in the clinic he always made an effort to look neat and professional.

Seeing Harvey relaxing was one thing she really did appreciate when they met. But him, slowly opening the buttons of his shirt and loosening his tie? It was so effortlessly and unintentionally sexy.

She looked at him chewing on her lip. But not nervously, hungrily more so. All that tension that had pent up between them, all the fantasies about him, all the longing wanted to be released. Melissa lost her self-control. Food could wait.

Harvey was a bit startled first, but he got all hot right after. _Never_ in his life had someone looked at him like this. She closed the distance between them with a few steps and reached her hand up to cradle his face. Then she crushed their lips together, fast and desperate for him, and Harvey almost tore down his clothing rag by the force she was coming at him with. They stumbled a few steps back, never losing touch, until he leant against the wall. Melissa pulled back and hovered over his lips for a moment, her mouth slightly open, before taking in his lower lip and afterwards starting to kiss his neck. He growled. Which seemed to fire her on. She licked and nipped and kissed every piece of skin she could get.

She opened the next two buttons of his shirt and traced his collar bone with her lower lip. He was panting already. She came up to look at him unravelling.

He couldn't believe this was all happening. She kissed him again, less urgent, but passionately. She felt so good. Her lips so plush, her kisses intense and making his heart swell, her body soft under his hands. His head was spinning and torn between what he wanted for so long now and doubts trying to make their way up into his consciousness. He trusted her though and decided to let things flow. He was way to horny by now to stop anyway.

He grabbed her hips and pressed her against him and it felt oh so good. She untied his tie. As she felt his erection through the fabric, pressed against her stomach, she moaned softly. Right into his ear.

Enough was enough. He grabbed her ass, and lifted her into the air. He turned them around and pinned Melissa against the wall with his body. She gasped and slung her legs around him. Now it was his turn to kiss her neck. He had been dreaming about this from the start. He simultaneously ground against her with his hips. She moaned quietly again. And again. She pulled his shirt out of his slacks and opened the buttons, then traced her hands over his clothed chest. He wore a ribbed tank underneath. She circled his nipple over the fabric. Then she pushed them both away from the wall a bit with her back and Harvey had to be fast grabbing her tight again so she wouldn't fall. She chuckled at him looking all surprised and then pulled her shirt over her head. Together with the top she wore underneath. And before he knew, she also tossed her bra away.

A deep growl left Harvey's throat, a sound he didn't even know he was capable of making. He pinned her against the wall again, grinding against her with more pressure. She pulled his shirt over his arms and it fell to the floor. She paused and it startled Harvey for a moment. She looked at him, a little bit concerned. “Please tell me, if we're going too fast, Harvey. I don't want to rush things with you.” He smiled at her, she was so gentle with him. “Let's just do what feels right to you. We have time. But still, I can't keep myself away from you.”

Harvey hummed approvingly. He didn't want to go too far. But he didn't want to stop there. “Lets just do this”, he whispered, grinding at her and kissing her neck. “Okay”, she panted.

“Can I remove your belt, please?”, Melissa asked after a while, almost pleading. It was in the way. The fabric of his slacks was thin and she could feel him, but the belt was covering the tip of his cock. Harvey let her down and removed his belt. Melissa took off her jeans. She stood in front of him in a pair of thin leggings now. “Is that okay?”, she asked. He nodded. “Would you sit down for me?”, she asked him. He did. She sat on top of him. Harvey almost cried out. Yeah, he got why she wanted that.

She started riding him, the friction sending sweet shivers down her spine. She watched Harvey fall apart. He was heaving, pupils blown wide. He cupped her chest, thumbing her nipples. He looked at her. “I can't believe this is happening” he said in a rough voice. Which had Melissa almost come at the spot. She threw her head back, building up pressure for him and moaning his name. He took one nipple in his mouth, sucked and licked at it. Melissa's voice pitched. “Harvey, I'm gonna cum if you keep this up”, she groaned. “Oh please, come for me”, Harvey said, voice low and thick. She did, head fallen back and breasts bobbing in front of his face. Harvey was delirious. When she came down from her high, she kissed him and then picked up speed. Riding him to his orgasm. Harvey was seeing stars and whispering her name over and over.

When he came back to earth he looked at Melissa, who looked at him with the most loving glance he had ever seen. Then she kissed him again.

“Oh, look at you. We made a mess”, Melissa chuckled. Wetness was pooling in his pants and it didn't feel the best. Harvey laughed and they stood up. “Guess I have to change” he said and pulled out new boxers and slacks from his closet. “I'll be right back”, he said and went to the bathroom to clean himself up. Melissa put on her clothes again. She was somewhere on cloud nine. Harvey came out of the bathroom and picked up his shirt to throw it on again. He smiled at Melissa sheepishly and made her giggle. He pulled her into an embrace and planted a kiss on her head. “Let's eat, shall we?”

***

Melissa didn't have too much of an idea what to do for new years eve and she didn't want to go to the house party at Sam's. His mother and brother were staying with Marnie and Jas, so he threw a big party. Some people from the neighbouring villages and some from Zuzu were coming, lots of young folks. Melissa had supplied him with a dozen bottles of wine and some beer as well. But she never was a big fan of gatherings like this and she wanted to spend the evening with Harvey. But as much as she just wanted to stay in with him and watch the fireworks from her porch, she knew she wouldn't be able to control herself when they did that. So she asked him what he wanted to do and he suggested just going to the saloon. There was a small celebration there every year apparently. With a buffet, music and a wine tasting. Sounded good to her. Mostly people from the village would be there and she knew Shane was going as well. They didn't set a time or something, just agreed to going there.

She went a bit early, but she didn't have anything to do. She already spent so much time on curling her hair and putting on make-up and still it was only 8pm when she stood in front of the saloon. She swung the door open and went in. She put her jacket on the clothing rack at the entrance and smoothed out her dress. She wore a tight black sweaterdress, the knit fabric shimmering a bit in the lights. Some thermal tights underneath and chunky black lace-up boots. She had gained a bit weight over the winter again, but she didn't care. Since moving to Pelican she somehow had learned to appreciate her body way more, she was thankful for all the things she could do. She was more confident and she knew that looked good on anyone. And she had beautiful curves, that she had always known.

She looked around and saw the usual people there, Pam at the bar, Lewis and Willy at a standing table and Shane in his usual corner. He looked at her over the rim of his glass, raising an eyebrow. She smiled at him and came to sit on a stool next to him. “Melissa, you're looking fire!”, he blurted. She winked at him and smiled, bumping her shoulder against him. “You okay with me drinking alcohol?”, she asked him, now serious. “Yeah, Melissa, you're not the one with the problem. But I'm drinking too, already had a few beers. Sorry, don't be mad. But where should I go anyway? Stay with Marnie and Jodie? I would get trashed within half an hour there.”

“It's okay, Shane. You're doing the best you can and you're already on a good path”, Melissa said with a weak smile. She ordered a sweet wine and they chatted a bit. It was mostly Shane complaining about work and not knowing what to do when he was free. But Melissa was happy to hear him out and give him mental support. Their glasses were being refilled constantly though and at some point they were just talking about all the things Shane had stolen at JoJa, and about chicken. Shane had laid an arm over Melissa's shoulder and they were laughing loudly every now and then. At some point Shane nodded over to the buffet. “Your doc has been here for a while now, shooting me weird looks. You should go greet him”, Shane teased. “Oooh, I didn't see him coming in. I'll be back later”, Melissa said and got up. “Chill dude, just enjoy yourself”, Shane answered. Melissa chuckled and went in the direction of where Harvey stood. She was getting self-conscious now, knowing she was tipsy already. She smoothed out her dress again, and fumbled with her hair. Then she went to greet him.

He seemed to be in thought when she stood in front of him and jolted a bit when Melissa laid her hand on his shoulder. The look in his eyes hurt her. “Honey, what's wrong?” she asked him. “No... nothing, it's okay. I just, my mind just went off there for a second”, Harvey said and kissed her on her forehead. “No, I- I could see hurt in your eyes just seconds ago. Let's go outside and talk about it, okay?” Melissa suggested. She took his hand and lead him out.

They went behind the saloon where no one was. It was quite busy at that point and she wanted Harvey to feel safe. He sighed. “I just... You know, I, I trust you. But I got triggered there for a moment when I saw you with Shane. It's totally on me and I don't want to be possessive. I know you are not like this and I know you wouldn't hurt me but... still...”.

“Harvey, I'm glad you've told me that. It's okay”, Melissa assured him. She hugged him close, but only shortly. “I'm sure you have your reasons and you can always tell me if something comes up for you. I'm here for you and I will always give your worries or thoughts room. You are safe.”

Harvey almost tore up at that.

He decided to open up to her about his bad experiences with women. Of being used and betrayed. When he was done telling her everything he wanted to tell her that moment, he realised she was listening with a calm and caring expression on her face, but she had slung her arms around herself and shivered a bit because of the cold. “I'm so sorry, you're cold and I'm starting to ramble. I ruined the evening because of my anxiousness.” Melissa quickly shook her head no. “I'm so sorry that you had to go through all of this. You deserve so much better”. Harvey pulled her close and sighed with relief. “I will repeat myself”, Melissa said and looked up to him, still staying in their embrace. “I'm here for you. I care for you deeply and hearing your story makes me angry. You are the kindest, most humble and loving human I have ever met. You are beautiful, Harvey, inside and out.” He leant down and kissed her fondly. “Thank you”, he whispered against her lips. “But now, let's head back in, before you catch a cold!”

Melissa chuckled “Yes, doctor!” and lead him back inside holding his hand. They got food, talked and laughed and the mood lightened again. It was only now that Harvey realized how much of an effort Melissa had made to look good and he told her how pretty she was. The way the dress hugged her body, her hair, the way she accentuated her eyes, it made her beautiful features stand out more. Even though Harvey liked her in her overalls and messy pony tail equally.

They tasted a lot of wine, Harvey doing it like a pro and spitting the sips into a small bucket. Melissa getting tipsy again after having sobered up in the cold. “Oooh Harveeey you are such a professional looking fine man”, she teased him. He chuckled. “And you are on the brink of getting drunk.” She snuggled against him. “Hmmm. Maybe I should get some lemonade or something next. I hope I didn't make you uncomfortable.” He nodded to the lemonade, but his heart warmed by her caring for him even in the state she was in. “I'll get you a lemonade, you eat some more. And no, I'm fine, you're being cute”, he answered smiling. She got up on her toes and kissed him. He felt her tumble a bit like this, struggling to keep the balance on her toes while stretching up to him. She really was so cute, trying with all her might to kiss him. He steadied her by taking her waist in his hands and leaning down to her. She deepened the kiss, not caring if anyone was looking at them. Harvey didn't care either. But when she moaned into the kiss, he had to distance himself. His hands were clutching her tight and he gulped heavily. He pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose and stated it was time to get the lemonade. Melissa chuckled again and went to get some more food.

When Harvey came back, she was sitting at a booth, staring at the vacant seat in front of her. Melissa's sight was getting blurry and she felt the heat in her entire body. There was way too much heat between her legs though. She couldn't stop her thoughts from imagining what she wanted to do to Harvey. What she wanted him to do to her. She shrugged a bit when he sat down in front of her, handing her a glass of lemonade. She chugged half of it down in one go. Sighing “Fuck.” She was gripping her leg tight. Harvey searched her hand under the table and felt her tension. “What is it?”

“Harvey, I'm drunk. All the wine got to my head a bit more quickly than I thought. And... Fuck it”, she lowered her voice and leant over to him. “Harvey, I'm so horny for you. I really want you” she whispered in his ear.

His head went bright red immediately and he gulped again. Very heavy. Blood rushing down _places_. He could see she was barely keeping herself together and her hand had started wandering on his thigh under the table. She leant over and kissed him. Open mouthed and a bit sloppy. Not helping at all.

Harvey got all hot as well and pulled back gasping. He pushed her hand back onto his knee and took a big sip of his wine. Then deciding that might not be the best idea and taking a sip from Melissa's lemonade. He breathed in deeply trying to cool down. Melissa looked at him with low eyelids. She was so sexy. “Hands on the table, miss”, he commanded her with a smile when her hand started trailing up his thigh again. “Oh, it's really hot when you talk like this”, Melissa stated with a blush, but did as told. He held her hands and they just sat there for a while.

Then it was time for the fireworks, everyone was heading outside. They got up as well and left last. The change in climate did her no good this time and Melissa was embarrassed for being so drunk. She clung to Harvey and they watched the fireworks silently. Afterwards he leant down to kiss her. “Happy new year”, he whispered into her ear. She just hummed, not wanting to talk with a slur, and kissed him again. And again. They parted and started to join in all the hugging and new years wishes with the people around them. Melissa gave a specially tight squeeze to Shane and ruffled his hair. When she was done she searched Harvey and found him talking to Demetrius. “I... 'M sooorry to dist.. Oh goodness”, she wasn't able to even bring out a normal sentence, but still super aware of it. She steadied herself with a hand on the wall. She took a deep breath and pressed out the sentence with all her willpower. “Harvey, please walk me home I'm too drunk.” Demetrius chuckled and excused himself.

Harvey went in to get their jackets and paid for their drinks and the buffet. Melissa waited outside, leaning against the cold bricks.

Harvey went back outside, butterflies in his chest. He felt 10 years younger, walking his love interest home after an evening of celebrating. But this time, the person was genuinely interested in him as well and was taking care of him just as he was taking care of her. Only in a different way. And for some reason, she seemed to really yearn for him. She proved that again by pulling him close and kissing him again passionately after putting on her jacket. She hooked one leg around him and pressed him against her. Harvey had to fight back his lust coming up.

He parted again, and held out his arm for her. She took it and they went towards her farm. “I'm so sorry Harv, makin' you leave so early”, she babbled on their way. He smiled sheepishly at her giving him a nickname. “Hmm don't worry. I don't like staying long anyway. And I'm just happy to keep you company.” She nuzzled into his side. The walk ended way too fast. Melissa stood on her porch and leant down to kiss him once more. She sighed deeply. “I wish I could invite you in. But I don't want it to be... like this.” He smiled again, she was just so thoughtful and cute. He kissed her cheek. “Get some rest. Drink some water before bed as well. I'll see you around.” He turned to walk back when he heard her call after him. “Harvey, wait!”, she came over to him a bit clumsy, pulling out her wallet. “I don't know how much “ she started, but he pushed her fumbling hands back a bit. “No worries, I've got you covered. It was my pleasure”, he said with a soft smile. She put her wallet back mumbling “Thank you. Next time's on me though”. Harvey chuckled and squeezed her. “Now get to bed, Melissa.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Would that I - Hozier'


	20. Bouquet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Melissa likes the stupid traditions of the valley.

“So what did you get Jas?”, Melissa asked Shane. She was sitting upside down on her couch, her hair falling onto the floor. Shane sat at the coffee table, stuffing pepper poppers in his mouth. He didn't want to take the golden pumpkin and told her to take it back with her when she left from the pier. But she just left it there and he finally took it.

“Some pink bunny slippers she was babbling about for months, that were way to expensive. I also bought a small bike, but she doesn't know yet. Hiding it in the shed. And I plan to take off 2 weeks in spring, and – this is not discussable – help you on the farm then.”

Melissa turned around the right way too quickly. She was super dizzy. Shane laughed at her. She laughed as well, as the world was in place again. “Are you for real? Shane...”, she said softly. “Yes I am. Don't make a thing out of it.” He threw a pepper popper at her.

They hung out a lot at her place the rest of the season. Since she was bored, and he didn't want to go to the saloon after work. They did a wine testing of her selfmade wine one evening though. Maybe not the best idea, but they had a lot of fun. Otherwise, no alcohol. Shane looked way better already. His face was less swollen and his eyes just a bit brighter.

“It's Harvey's birthday soon”, Melissa started “and I have no clue what to get him."

“I thought you wanted to give him the wine you made?”

“Yeah, but it's not enough. I want something special for him. To show him he is special to me.”

“Bleh. You suck”, Shane blurted but laughed. “You don't think selfmade wine is special? You're stupid.”

“Sorry. But it's who I am.” She smiled and then furrowed her brow in thought. Maybe a plane ride? But he was afraid of heights. A model to build? She didn't know what he already had and where to even get that shit. Maybe a weekend off somewhere? She could ask Maru to take on the emergency phone. And they could be somewhere close, just in case. But she couldn't really afford it.

“I might know something, you love-sick bitch.”

Melissa looked at him surprised. She popped the astray pepper popper from before into her mouth.

“You know, there's this fuckin' stupid tradition here in the valley. You get the person of interest a special bouquet. No one does this shit anymore, but everyone knows what it means.” Melissa was very interested now. “Yeah looks like you, that you would like that kind of shit. Harvey's an old anxious dude so he will like it as well.”

“Don't call him old”, Melissa said. “So, what does it mean?”

Shane shifted his voice to nasal and stated parodistically “You're in love with someone and want to let your actions speak louder than words? You want them to know just how much you like them? Make a promise without words? Get this beautiful bouquet”.

Melissa burst into laughter. A perfect imitation of a very cheap and shitty advertisement JoJa would air for sure. She cried from laughing, holding her tummy because it hurt. Shane laughed as well. Until they had no more breath left.

“It's true though. Get him one of these.” Melissa smiled “I will. Thank you Shane, you're the best!” She ruffled his hair. “Where do I get them?”

“You can order one at Pierre's, or I can steal one from JoJa”, he smirked.

“What?! No way!”

“Yeah you're right. The quality at Pierre's is a thousand times better. He's a _doctor_ , he has his standards, right?”, Shane teased.

“What, no! Okay, maybe, yes. I want to get the most beautiful shit I can get. But also, I'm not gonna spur you on to steal.”

Shane laughed again. “You think I paid for the pizza we just ate?”

Melissa shot him a disapproving look. They laughed again.

***

Melissa stood at the counter of Pierre's, leaning forward to ask him for the bouquet without anyone hearing. “Is that really a thing here?”, she asked him. “Oh yes, yes it is. But you should consider, you're showing him that you _mean_ it. You know. It's kind of a promise. Don't do it if you don't mean it. Poor thing has a fragile heart.” Melissa leant closer. “I do mean it. I would marry him on the spot. Order that bouquet for me please.” “Wow, you're determined”, Pierre said. “You know, also, they are expensive. Like _expensive_.”

“How much?”

“They range from 100 to 250 bucks.”

“Get it. Get the most beautiful one. Doesn't have to be the biggest one. I don't care how much it is. And please, consider it's for a guy. Not the pink and red shit.”

Pierre grinned. She could see cash in his eyes.

“Well then, I'll ask what they have and order it. For his birthday you said? So, the 14th next month, right?”

“Exactly. Thank you. And don't tell anyone. He cannot know beforehand.”

“Yeah yeah.”

She went out of the store with her groceries and went straight to the clinic.

Melissa had some smalltalk with Maru at the counter. She then told her Harvey had appointments until they closed. “It's fine”, Melissa said. “I'll just go up. I have a nice dinner planned”, she said proudly. Maru smiled at her warmly. “I'm so glad Harvey finally found someone. Someone who makes him happy. Who is good for him. Take good care of him, Melissa”, Maru said gently. “That's the plan. I will give my best to make him the happiest man alive”, Melissa bragged. Evelyn came towards them and smiled at her widely while leaving the clinic. Harvey came to the front to get a coffee before his next appointment. “Oh hey darling” he said smiling and lent over the counter to kiss her quickly. She blushed, she wasn't used to such terms of endearment yet. “I'm sorry, my day is so full, I don't even have 5 minutes to spare.” He looked at her apologizing. “No worries. We're scheduled for 8, so I figured that. But since I don't have anything to do I thought I could make dinner for us.” He was taken aback by her. “You... You are...”, he gulped. “I'm looking forward to it. Thank you so much.” Melissa squeezed his hands and went towards his apartment. She heard him ask Maru who was next.

Melissa made a complete mess out of Harvey's apartment. He had so little counter space that she used his dining table to chop up the veggies. She used all of his pots and pans. She had tossed her hoodie on the couch, since she was getting really warm while cooking. She had rustled through his cupboards to find some candles. The salad was prepared, the gratin in the oven and the dessert sitting in the fridge. She sighed, looking at the mess. It was 7, one hour to clean up. She sat on the couch for a few minutes though, drinking a glass of water. Thinking of the noises she dragged out of him the last time she was here. She was already getting hot headed again, so she started cleaning quickly.

Harvey came up a bit late. She had turned the heat of the oven down to keep the gratin warm. She was prepared, since she knew how stressful his days were. He came in sighing “I'm so sorry I'm late”. He had taken off his lab coat downstairs. He put off his shoes and folded his tie onto the side table close to the door. “It smells divine in here”, he said in awe. “No worries honey, I made a gratin so it wasn't important that you came on time. I know life's crazy down there. And thank you! I hope it tastes just as good.” Honey, the word rang in his ears. She had said it once before, but she was drunk then. Butterflies started rummaging through his chest again.

She wanted to give him a pet name as well. Since he was the sweetest man earth had ever seen, gentle and soothing, she settled for honey. Also, honey is antibacterial, she thought that was funny since he was a doctor.

They ate together and Harvey praised her for the food every course. “Phew, I'm stuffed. I guess I overate just a _liiittle_ bit”, Melissa laughed. “ Harvey stood up and kissed her head, “then you go on the couch, I'll do the dishes”.

“Nooo, I wanted to spoil you. Just wait half an hour, I'll do it then”, Melissa said.

Harvey laughed warmly, “You totally did spoil me. It must have been a mess and you already cleaned all of that up. Let me do the dishes at least.”

Melissa sighed and went to the couch. She smiled as she watched Harvey clean up. He had his sleeves rolled up, his hair was a mess and without the coat over it, his ass looked really nice in the slacks. He smiled softly. “You are beautiful, did I ever tell you that?”, Melissa said to him. He was a bit startled, it was a bit weird hearing this while doing the dishes. So he laughed. He also couldn't quite believe it. “I mean it, Harvey. And I hope someday you will understand.” She nuzzled herself into his blanket again. She could have put her hoodie back on, but this was more comforting. Cuddling into the scent that lingered there. His scent.

As he was done, he went into the bathroom and then came to sit by her side. She put the blanket over him as well and they watched a movie together. One of Harvey's favourites apparently. His eyes were locked on the screen, her eyes were locked on him. When the advertisement came on for the second time, he caught her staring at him. “Darling, did you even watch up until now?”, he asked her amused. She hummed. He affectionately looked at her. “No you didn't”, he figured and leant over to her and kissed her softly. He ran his hand up and down her thigh. She deepened the kiss.

She was greedy. She wanted all of him. But she didn't want to run him over as well. She was a force of a storm, she knew that, and he was a gentle breeze. She wanted to savour this. It took all of her willpower though.

They kissed the rest of the movie. Mouths, necks, hands. They were breathing heavy, but slowly. It was beautiful. At some point Harvey got up to get them water. “I hate to say it, but it's getting late. I have a lot of work tomorrow again”, Harvey said.

“Hmm, yes, okay... Harvey?”

“Yes?”

“I... Uhm... Can I stay the night?”, Melissa asked him shyly.

Harvey's head was turning red immediately. He didn't think he was ready for _this_ just yet. He was getting really nervous now. He wanted her, oh how he wanted her, but he wanted to take time. Get to know her a bit better. Soothe his anxious thoughts a bit more.

“Oh, uh, I just, like... Want to sleep here. With you. We can go to bed straight away. And not like this, I mean just, you know, right?”, she was rambling.

He laughed. “Well, yes, you can stay”, he was relieved to be honest. He liked the thought of her staying with him. “But we really have to go sleep soon.” Melissa jumped and hugged him. “Thank you”, she whispered. “I get kind of lonely at the cabin in winter.”

They got ready taking turns in the bathroom. Harvey had a spare toothbrush and she slept in an old T-Shirt of his. They just cuddled in bed and Melissa fell asleep very fast. Harvey was awake much longer. He loved the way she smelled. The warmth against his body. Her cuddling against him, without putting any expectations on him. Her hair was pooling all over his chest and she breathed deeply. It felt so warm and Harvey couldn't believe his luck. That he found someone who was not pressuring him. Someone who looked at him with loving eyes. He couldn't do too much against his slight nervousness though. But he fell asleep into a deep sleep at some point.

When his alarm rang, he was first surprised by Melissa at his side, who was fast asleep still. He smiled, and put the duvet back over her after getting up. He got ready silently and softly woke her up before heading down. She blinked at him and his heart felt like bursting. He loved her madly. “I'm heading down. You can stay as long as you like. Get some more sleep.” He kissed her on her forehead. “I love you”, he added quietly. She was almost asleep again already. He smiled to himself and started his day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Celeste - Ezra Vine'


	21. Snowy weekend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just some fluffy moments.

Melissa was already dozing off again as she heard him whisper “I love you”. She didn't register at that moment what that meant. She was barely conscious enough to realize Harvey was going to the clinic.

Melissa rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She was laying sprawled diagonally over Harvey's bed. She just realized how small it was and that she must have totally cramped him. She giggled to herself and sat up, hugging the duvet and smiling like a total dork. _He loves m_ e. She thought. He said it, this morning. He loved her. Her heart skipped a beat, he felt the same as her. She was worried she was overpowering him. She wanted to be gentle. But at the same time she knew he liked her bubbly and stormy nature.

When she got up, Melissa had no clue what time it was. And she didn't care. She opened the curtains and was blinded by all the snow outside. She let in some fresh air while getting ready in the bathroom.

Melissa breathed in deeply before she went downstairs, readying herself for confrontation if someone saw her. She went to the front, Harvey was with a patient in his office, so she talked to Maru, who was beaming at her. She handed her a box with leftovers from the evening which would make up for two portions. “Make sure he eats this okay? There's enough for the both of you, so if you'd like you could get a plate as well”. Maru didn't stop beaming. “I will. Thank you”. They chatted about her and Penny quietly, so the waiting patients wouldn't hear them. Melissa learned that Maru had fallen for Penny shortly after Melissa started dating Harvey for the first time. And suddenly the thought about Harvey being with Maru seemed stupid to her. It was something her mind had made up. That might have been the reason why Shane found her worries so funny as well. Now she could see it, that Maru really cared for Harvey and they were close. But more as colleagues, they didn't even meet in private usually. Melissa had worried about her age and yet, with Maru she didn't question it, even though she was the same age as her. At some point Maru had told her, that the day she saw them talking intimately, Maru had asked him if he was in love with Melissa.

“I'm heading off now. See you around!”, she said and went home. She had left a note on Harvey's bedside table to come see her at the farm on saturday if he wanted to, after he wrapped up work.

***

Melissa was getting more nervous the more time passed. It was already very late and it became more unlikely that Harvey would come visit her every passing minute. As her clock showed 9:30, she figured he couldn't make it or felt too exhausted after the week. Which was okay, but still, she was a bit sad since she always looked forward to meeting him. He hadn't seen her cabin from inside yet, and she wanted to share some time together staying cosy by the fireplace. She made a note to finally hire someone to connect her phone-line. Then she could at least talk to him.

She went to her bedroom and changed into her pyjamas, which consisted of an old pair of joggers and a soft, loose t-shirt. She was braiding her hair when it knocked on her door. It scared her a bit, but she always got scared easily, since she got lost in her thoughts way too often. For some reason she was expecting Shane in front of her door, not being able to keep himself busy enough to not drink. When she opened the door she was already saying “Joo you little punk, you – oooh, Harvey!”, she turned deep red and Harvey was laughing. “Hm, first time someone's called me that, I think”, he chuckled. “No! No, you know I didn't think you would come anymore and figured Shane was in need of a distraction to not drink”, Melissa tried to explain herself, gesturing with her hands frantically. Harvey chuckled, he found it endearing that she talked so differently to him than to Shane. Also he thought it was kind of sexy, her being more vulgar. But he wouldn't tell her. He hugged her tight and muffled “Hey now, it's totally fine”, into her hair. Melissa immediately relaxed and cuddled into him. She then pulled back “I'm glad you still came” she said and held the door open to let him in. She only then saw that he carried a small duffle bag with him. Her heartbeat fastened a bit, was he planning on staying the night? He may be, since it was so late already.

Melissa shut the door and shyly welcomed Harvey to her home. He smiled at her and noted that it was very cosy at her place. He took off his coat and scarf and hung it over the back of a chair, since Melissa didn't have a coat rack yet. She only had a big hook on her frontdoor where she always hung up her jacket.

Harvey mustered the cabin, slowly walking through it. It wasn't very big. Melissa had an open kitchen/ living room space with a small dining table, two chairs and a couch in it. A basket with a blanket stood beside the couch, as well as a small coffee-table with a big candle on it. The corner was tied together by a vintage looking rug. Fire was crackling inside the fireplace, warming him up quickly. She had some string-lights on her walls and a few plants hung up, which started to trail down the walls. To the right, there was a small bathroom and behind the kitchen seemed to be her bedroom. Harvey came to sit on the couch, looking at Melissa who leant against her kitchen top. She was already in her sleeping clothes it seemed. The t-shirt was soft and big, yet it flowed around her curves and didn't hide much. He could even see the faint silhouette of her nipples. He swallowed and looked at her face quickly.

“Do you want some hot chocolate?”, Melissa asked. Harvey hesitated.

“Oh, you don't like hot chocolate? I can make you a cup of tea instead if you'd like. Or are you more up for a cold drink?”

“No... I like hot chocolate. It's just... It has lots of calories... And I'm not quite...”

Melissa came towards him and hushed his sentence with pressing a finger on his lips.

“Oh honey, don't talk like that. You are perfectly fine. _Perfectly fine_. You are beautiful. I like everything about you.” She kissed him fondly, her hands now resting on his chest. He sighed, he was so self-conscious about his middle specifically. “I can make you a tea or something still, if you would prefer it.” He thought a while and shook his head no. “No, I want that hot chocolate, please.” Melissa smiled and kissed him again.

They shared their hot drinks in front of the fireplace, talking and laughing together. After a while Lord Pawson finally had the courage to come out as well and laid down on the rug in front of the fire place after brushing against Harvey's legs.

They danced to music on the radio, then talked about past relationships that had broken them. Melissa understood better, why Harvey was so anxious. He had told her the worst things already in the night at the saloon, but just briefly.

Harvey understood, why Melissa had been so cautious. And admired that she still was so warm-hearted and open.

They went to bed at some point after midnight. Harvey had brought everything he needed in his bag. He got ready first and while Melissa was in the bathroom, he took in her bedroom. Even though the cabin was quite small, she had a king-sized bed squeezed into her bedroom. She didn't have any cupboards in there, only a beside-table. She used wall space for storage, a lot of shelves hung there and a clothing rack was mounted to the ceiling. So the room didn't look cramped, but simple and cute. She had a few plants on her shelves, as well as some crystals she must have found in the mines. A vase with dry flowers, otherwise some fantasy books, some wooden boxes, a drawing pad and a worn out leather pencil case.

Her smell lingered stronger in here than in the rest of her house. This beautiful, soothing scent of hers, which simultaneously made him lightheaded. He ran his hand over the bedframe and turned red by imagining all the things he wanted to do to her in this bed. He swallowed hard. But not today.

Melissa crawled under the bedsheets and cuddled against Harvey's side. He laid his arm out, so she could rest her head on his chest. She traced up and down his torso. “Harvey?” she asked quietly. “Hmmm?” he hummed, almost asleep. She placed a kiss on his jawline. “Thank you for coming today. I missed you.” He squeezed her with the arm she half laid on, kissed the top of her head and dozed of contentedly.

***

Harvey and Melissa were walking down the forest, along the river. It looked beautiful with all the snow around and Melissa loved the sound of the flowing water. She loved the ocean most, but it was almost unbearable there during winter. The wind cold, wet and merciless.

They had spent a slow morning together, getting up late and eating breakfast almost at noon. Chatting about this and that. But mostly Melissa talked about her plans on getting chicken and a goat. That she would bring him fresh eggs before selling them. Harvey mumbled something about good proteins with his mouth full, which had Melissa laugh loudly. He was such a doctor and at the same time, she loved that he had just done that without caring too much about how he appeared to her. He was always so well behaved, that this small thing made her feel really good. She knew he must have been starting to feel safe with her.

Now they were just walking in silence, her hand in his, inside his pocket. He rubbed small circles on the back of her hand as he often did, which somehow made her feel calm and protected. Even though she had the strong urge to protect him. It felt nicely balanced between them. This was something she had never experienced before in a hetero relationship.

They came to a halt at the cliffs and just looked out into the distance. Melissa cuddled into Harvey's chest, who embraced her from behind. They stood there until Melissa couldn't hold back a shiver and Harvey quickly jumped into protective mode. “Are you getting cold? Do you want my scarf? We should head back -”, he babbled. Melissa chuckled and turned around and got on her toes to reach him. She pressed her lips on his and he calmed down a bit. But he pushed her back firmly, “You're not distracting me. We're going back. Doctor's orders!”, he said seriously, but then chuckled. Melissa faked a childish annoyance and laughed as well. Harvey already turned and walked a bit towards the path they had come from. He didn't see Melissa not following and turned around when he thought it was too silent, he only heard his footsteps in the snow. That's when a snowball hit his forehead. It was not pressed hard, so it crumbled by meeting his skin. “Headshot!”, he heard Melissa shout amused. He rubbed his forehead, it took him a few seconds to get what had just happened. Then he laughed and formed a snowball himself.

They were battling hard, snowballs rushing through the air, their faces warm and red from the laughter and action. At some point Melissa exclaimed defeat and just let herself fall into the snow. Harvey came beside her, standing there and watching her with a goofy smile. He didn't know when he had felt this delighted and carefree. She was magic.

Taking the hand Harvey held out to her Melissa got up, hugging his middle tight. When she looked up she saw Harvey so happy and in the moment, she was actually proud of herself. And it made her happy to see him happy. She got on her toes to kiss him. This time he let it happen, in fact he was the first one to open his mouth and deepen the kiss. After a while they parted and went back to the farm. Melissa took a shower, since she was cold and all wet from the snow. They drank coffee and cooked dinner together.

At the end of the evening Melissa stood on the last step of the porch, Harvey on the pathway. She was about his height like this. She slung her hands around his neck, slipping the tips under his scarf. “I had the most fun today, Melissa. Thank you”, Harvey told her. She kissed him. Kissed him again. Harvey grabbed her by her hips and pulled her flush against him. They kissed each other passionately and the need inside Melissa started to grow. She sighed against his mouth and their kiss deepened to almost desperately. Until Harvey pulled back just slightly, panting. “I should go”, he said with a blush on his cheeks. It sounded like he was convincing himself. “If you don't want me to eat you alive, yeah, you should”, Melissa moaned and leant back in to kiss him. Harvey pressed himself against her again, slipping his hands under her hoodie and squeezing the flesh over her hips. A low groan left his throat and Melissa panted “Oh my... Harvey for real, I won't hold back much longer.”

The sound of him groaning was music in her ears and she started getting wet. He pulled back slightly and she tried to catch her breath. His eyes were getting dark with lust but she still heard him say he would leave. And he did, but he went the first steps backwards, keeping his eyes locked with hers. She fought the urge to put her hand down her pants immediately, standing there on the porch, his hungry eyes on her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Ophelia - The Lumineers'  
> I'm not 100% happy with that song for this chapter, if you have a suggestion, I would absolutely LOVE to hear it ♥
> 
> Btw it's actually the most beautiful winter day where I live while uploading this.  
> Cold, sunny and fluffy snow.


	22. Winter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harvey's birthday ♥
> 
> I finally figured out how to add a link, so I'm leaving the playlist link here again  
> [Harvey SV Fic Playlist](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5qbMAbsSOXNTf8NQ7IsXSc?si=4CrbfUDxRaiGe8SE9J2CWQ)

Melissa was nervous. She stood at the counter at Pierre's, gnawing on her lower lip. He came from the back and placed the flowers in front of her. “What do you think?”

It was a beautiful arrangement of soft colours and a lot of greenery. Her heart was racing with this chance to show Harvey how much she cared. But also she knew she was being bold and a bit afraid of overrunning him. She breathed out slowly. “They look great, Pierre. Thank you. How much do I owe you?” “180. The vase is on the house”, Pierre winked at her. “I don't think Harvey has one”, he added. “Thank you, again.” She paid him, gulping, since this was very pricey and she didn't know how he would react. She picked up her basket with the wine and pickles she had made and a small bottle of truffle oil she just bought, and hung it over her arm. She covered the insides with a cloth and took the bouquet.

Melissa had talked to Maru about Harvey's birthday. She had told her that he usually just got a piece of cake from Gus and ate it at his apartment. Sometimes he opened a bottle of wine. Nothing more for his birthday. He even worked just as usual. So Melissa had talked to Maru to keep the afternoon free for him.

In front of the clinic Melissa breathed in deeply again before pushing the door open. She had gotten some stares from Jodi and Caroline outside and felt weird. But it was for him.

She entered the clinic and heard Maru gasp. Melissa blushed and smiled at her shyly through the flowers. “Harvey in his office?”, she asked her. “No, he's upstairs. You might say I sent him home”, she chuckled.

Melissa placed her things on the counter and hung up her jacket and put off her beanie. She picked up everything and made her way up to the apartment. She heard Maru squeal even from the hallway.

Melissa knocked on Harvey's door.

He opened and Melissa could see his beautiful green eyes go wide. He covered his mouth with his hand and stared at the bouquet. After a while he sought her eyes and saw all the feelings in them. Her cheeks were bright pink and he could see the nervousness in the way her brows furrowed despite her smile. She looked shyly at him with big eyes, chewing on her lower lip. The world seemed to have stopped in its tracks. He slowly took the flowers from her and leant down to kiss her. “Happy birthday, Harvey”, Melissa breathed against his lips. They went inside and Harvey placed the flowers carefully on his counter top. Melissa then reached her basket out for him to take. “That's for you as well.” He unpacked and found she had gathered his favourite things and even made most of it herself. He placed the insides of the basket next to the flowers and looked at all of it. Tears formed in his eyes. Melissa was rocking back and forth on her heels. “Do you... like it?”, she asked quietly. He then realized she couldn't see his reaction and he hadn't said anything yet.

Melissa saw his eyes were watery, and as he had fully turned around a tear found its a way down his cheeks. She was getting even more nervous. She reached out her hand towards him, but then hesitated. “I... Too early? I just... You know I...” her voice was shaking. “You don't have to reciprocate it... I just wanted to show you, how I... How much you...” Harvey was full on crying now, tears streaming down his face, but without a sound. He shook his head and pulled her close. They sank down to floor together and Melissa held him, until he had calmed enough to speak.

“Melissa”, a quiet sob left him, “I just can't believe this is real. That you are real.” Melissa finally relaxed and started to stroke his hair. “This is real, Harvey. I love you more than anything”, she whispered. His core shook from a new wave of tears that was hitting him. He felt like he had been bearing the weight of the world, and that weight was being lifted from him so fast. He didn't cry in front of people. But he felt safe. For the first time in his life, he felt safe. So he let it all out, and it felt good.

He slowly calmed down and lifted his head from where it was resting against her chest. Her hands slid down to his neck and she looked at him with the most loving gaze. She wiped away his tears, a small smile on her face. She didn't think anything bad about this, he could see it in her eyes. He saw no judgement, no pity, no helplessness in her eyes. Only love.

Melissa didn't see it coming when Harvey crashed his lips on her, pushing her to the floor. She gasped and they both laughed. Their eyes locked and they told each other how much they cared and loved the other one with their eyes. And then Harvey kissed her again, his lips soft against hers. He ran his tongue over her lips and she let him in. While kissing he parted her legs and placed himself between them. With this moment they just shared, her showing him how much she loved him, the weight being lifted from him, it was as if a switch was flipped inside his brain. And the need to feel her came up full force.

He rubbed himself against her lightly and dragged a long sigh out of her. She grabbed his ass and pushed him against her, bucking her hips up. They ground against each other and Harvey started kissing down her neck. He pushed down the fabric of her pullover to lick along her collar bone. She sighed again.

He hovered over her and looked at her face. She looked at him with low eyelids. He ran his fingertip over the side of her face, then over her upper lip. Her mouth was slightly parted. When he ran his finger slowly over her lower lip she nudged against his fingertip with her tongue. He halted and she licked his finger. He just now noticed the tight grip she was holding him with. He closed his eyes and withdrew his finger. He was painfully hard. He steadied himself by breathing slow.

“Harvey...”, Melissa whispered. “I want you.”

Harvey got up with his eyes still closed. Then reached out a hand for Melissa to take. Melissa's nervousness started to rise again, but when she stood, Harvey looked at her, pupils blown wide. He started unbuttoning his shirt. _Oh_. Melissa pulled her pullover over her head, and watched him take off his shirt. Then his undershirt. He looked at her sheepishly, she knew he wasn't comfortable showing his torso. But she loved it, he looked stunning. She didn't mind the softness, in fact, she really liked it. She ran her hands up and down the sides of his body, then placed a kiss on his chest. She nudged at his nipple and circled the other one with her hand. Then she trailed down, fumbling open his belt clumsily. She paused at the button of his slacks and looked up at his eyes. “Is this okay?”, she asked him quietly. He nodded yes. She opened the button and the zipper, pushed the fabric over his hips and let it fall to the ground. He stepped out of it and opened her bra. She let it fall over her arms, down to the floor. Harvey was wearing tight boxers and Melissa could see his erection very clearly. A small spot of wetness had already gathered at the top. She skimmed out of her jeans and took of her socks in the same movement. Harvey flexed down in the same moment to take of his. They stood across from each other, taking each other in for a moment. Then Harvey took her hand and led her to his bed. She laid down and he stood at the side, running his fingertips up and down her entire body. Then he hooked his fingers under her slip, she lifted her butt a bit so he could pull it down. He looked at her, his hand pressed against his mouth.

His moves were so soft, so slow. Melissa was melting under his touch, but the need inside of her was growing much quicker than he moved. He was so hot. His hands were so beautiful and his touch set fire to her insides. He looked at her, laying naked on his bed. Melissa almost couldn't take it anymore. “Harvey...”, she pleaded. She leant up, and put her fingers under the edge of his boxers. Again her eyes asked him if it was okay. He nodded and closed his eyes. She shifted to sit on the edge of the bed, and pushed down the fabric. His cock popped out right in front of her face, being freed from the fabric. She sighed softly. He was perfect. Just perfect. As if she had expected anything else. Everything about this man was perfect. She forgot her intend to ask permission for every move and licked up his shaft, swirling her tongue over the tip.

Harvey felt anxious about being naked in front of her, especially as she pushed down his briefs. He pressed his eyes shut for a moment, and gasped as she licked him. He didn't expect this, and he wasn't ready for the stimulation at all. He moaned throatily.

Melissa felt encouraged by the noise he just made, starting to softly suck at his tip, then taking him in as far as she could reach without gagging. She grabbed the base firmly and mimicked the movement of her mouth with her hand. A stream of soft moans left his mouth, and he tangled his hand in her hair. The moans got louder, a second hand found its way into her hair. He growled very deeply and pulled away. “No”, he told her with a guttural voice.

It was almost too much for Melissa. How could one person possibly be so fucking sexy. He pushed her back, so she was laying on her back. He came up the bed, between her legs. His slick cock ran upwards her slit and they both moaned. He bucked his hips softly, so his head was rubbing against her clit. She started panting immediately, the contact shooting pleasure through her body. He kissed her neck, trailed down to her chest, sucked and nudged at her nipple, then trailed down further. Between her legs. He kissed her inner thighs, licked the skin there. Her legs started shaking. Then he ran his tongue up her vulva. Up to her clitoris, swirling his tongue around and going down again. He repeated this a few times, until her breathing was completely wrecked. Then he dipped his tongue inside of her, pressing against the wall with the tip of his tongue. He heard her muffle a cry with her hand. He thought he was about to come right at that moment. Luckily he didn't. He reached up a hand, bashing away the hand she was covering her mouth with. He alternated between licking her and dipping his tongue inside of her.

Melissa was somewhere else. She had lost all of her self control and was closer to shouting than moaning. What he was doing to her was divine. His name left her lips a hundred times. She felt her orgasm coming closer and closer. Just before she thought she was about to explode she yanked him up by the shoulders, looking him straight in the eyes. He ran his tongue over his lips to lick her juice off of them and came up to her level. She grunted. They looked at each other for a moment, both panting. He knew what she wanted. He knew, he wanted it too.

He reached over to the bedside table and pulled out a condom. He rolled it over and lined himself up with her entrance. Then he looked at her. She stared at him hungrily. She gazed at him while he inserted himself carefully. He moved very slowly, until she relaxed a little and he knew she had adjusted to him. Then he almost pulled out of her, to press inside again steadily. Again and again. Her eyes were locked on his the whole time. Harvey had never experienced anything like it. He felt seen, he felt comforted, and at the same time it was driving him wild with lust. Her lips parted, and a stream of moans left her. She still looked at him.

She couldn't bear it anymore. Her eyes fluttered shut and she bucked up her hips. She grabbed his ass and pressed him inside of her forcefully. Let him retreat slowly and then pushed him inside of her firmly again. He picked up after that, repeating that motion over and over. Melissa's head fell back and she let loose. She praised him again and again, shouted his name. Harvey pressed his eyes shut, clenching his teeth. He didn't want to come yet, but he was so painfully close. The sounds he was dragging out of her though? He had to keep it up. He grunted and groaned, pushing in and out of her, her nails digging into his back. He couldn't drag out any longer. His eyes shot open when he felt Melissa shudder, arching her back up and clenching around him. Her orgasm crashing over her with brute force. It was the most beautiful thing Harvey had ever seen. And he did this. He followed right after her, riding his orgasm out while she came down from her high.

While Melissa saw stars and her orgasm ebbed away, she felt Harvey pushing into her wildly. He grunted into her ear, her name on his lips when he reached his own orgasm.

Harvey collapsed onto her, his head dropped beside hers on the pillow. “Wow”, Melissa breathed. “Wow”, Harvey answered. He came up on his elbows and looked at Melissa. “I love you”, they said simultaneously.

Originally Melissa had planned to go out for dinner to the saloon with Harvey, little did she know. She didn't anticipate this. She was so endlessly happy and finally the sexual tension she felt towards him found an outlet.

Harvey pulled out of her and fumbled a tissue out of his bedside table, to put the condom on. He really didn't feel like getting up now. He rolled to his side, laying close beside Melissa. She looked at him blissfully. He kissed her forehead. “This was the best birthday I ever had.” She chuckled and cuddled even closer to him. It was already quite late and they decided they would just get up early and eat breakfast together at the saloon instead, before Harvey would open up the clinic. He did this most mornings in winter anyways, they would just have to leave a bit earlier than he did usually. And he was really tired. From their intercourse, sure, but also from all the feelings. All the stages he went through today, all the crying. He fell asleep laying on his side, his arm over Melissa's body. She watched him for a while. Than pulled his duvet over them and smiled to herself. This was unbelievable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'All the things - Trevor Myall'  
> I got the song inspo from the story ["Lost and found" by manychickens](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22136575).  
> I fucking love this fanfic, give it a read if you haven't yet~  
>    
> Also, I updated the chapter notes, now every chapter has its own song :)  
> Not always perfect, but I wanted some continuity.  
> 


	23. The future looks bright

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One year into living at Pelican town, Melissa can't believe how happy she is ♥

With spring the farm came back to life again. Melissa felt all giddy when the first bits of green started to pop up. At the transition stage between winter and spring Melissa had hired Robin to build her a small barn and a coop. She used up the last bits of her savings for this, but Melissa felt unstoppable. She knew she could make a living from her produce and fuck it, whatever happened, she would never give up on that farm. She had the entire year to save up for the greenhouse as well, and this time she somewhat knew what she was doing. She was in awe of how much could happen in one year. Last year she was so fucking lonely, in severe need for a change. Helplessly overwhelmed by the task at hand and so so anxious about her future. _Look at you now_ , she thought to herself.

Shane hadn't been bluffing about taking time off from Joja and helping her with the farm. He helped her get started with a few animals, three chicken and a goat, to be precise. One of the chicken was a special breed of Shane, he was particularly proud about it. It was fucking cute, all fluffy and white. So white, it almost had a tinge of light blue.

Working with Shane was fun and easy. He knew what he was doing with the animals, and he quickly caught up with caring for plants as well. Although Melissa had him chop wood first, because it was very straining for her and he liked it for releasing tension.

They fooled around a lot and still Melissa found herself getting more than double the work done. Her farm was thriving with him helping. She didn't know how much the difference would be financially, so she didn't tell him about her plans to hire him part time. She wanted to see how much more she made first. So she wouldn't make promises she couldn't keep.

The last day Shane had off of Joja had come to an end, Melissa and him shared some strawberry lemonade she made from their first harvest. There hadn't been a lot on the plants yet, so she decided to just keep them and make a treat for both of them. They were sitting on her porch, talking shit about Joja.

At some point they just sat in silence, gazing into the fields.

“You know, Melissa”, Shane started calmly, not looking at her. “My life changed for the better, since you came here. Especially the last two months. And the last two weeks? I never felt so free. Last week I even went to see your beloved doc”, he smirked at her, then looked back at the fields “and had him arrange an appointment with a therapist in Zuzu. And I haven't touched any alcohol the last two weeks.” He was taken aback when Melissa almost tackled him with a hug. He lost his balance and just fell over. They laughed hard, now both laying on the porch instead of sitting.

Someone cleared his throat. “Am I interrupting something?”, Harvey said with a chuckle. Usually, this would have hit him with concern, but he truly trusted Melissa by now.

“Harvey!”, Melissa squealed jumping up and throwing herself at him. She hadn't seen him in quite a while. She was super busy with getting the farm back running and dropped into bed feeling dead every night. Harvey was a workaholic anyhow. So it just happened.

Harvey caught her at the waist and held her steady while she was kissing him. Shane grunted “Okay okay, Bruckner calm down. I'm not going to watch you go down on him!” Harvey's head turned deep red at that, Melissa just laughed and parted from Harvey. “You can sit with us, Harvey, I'll quickly get a glass for you as well”, Melissa said and punched Shane on his arm in passing. Melissa quickly went to use the bathroom, then grabbed a glass and filled it with ice cubes and headed out again. When she came back, she heard Shane and Harvey talk about Shane working on the farm the last weeks. She hadn't told him, since she first didn't know if he meant it and then they hadn't met anymore. She filled the glass with lemonade and handed it to Harvey.

They chilled for a bit, casually talking about various things. At some point Shane left and Harvey and Melissa stayed for a bit longer on the porch. The sun started to set and enveloped the farm in a golden light.

“Melissa, this is incredible. You've turned this old piece of land around completely. Your farm looks spectacular.”

Melissa smiled, she had forgotten that Harvey hadn't seen any of this yet. Last time he was on the farm it was winter and everything was covered in snow. “Thank you! I'm really proud of what I got here. Want a tour?” Harvey nodded and Melissa showed him around. Explained which flowers, vegetables and fruit were growing at all the places and that she planned to install more pathways. She showed him her chicken and her new goat. “I was first a bit intimidated by the idea of taking care of living beings, but it's fun, really. Shane got me started and I can always ask him or Marnie if something's wrong. I think, the chicken start to like me even.” Harvey followed her around, hands in his pockets. He just smiled at how much she cared about the farm and how it filled her voice with joy. When they were back at the porch, it was almost dark. “I wanted to ask you something, Melissa”, Harvey said calmly. “What is it?”

“I...wanted to know, what you would think about me staying over at your farm on weekends.” He scratched the back of his neck, a sweet smile on his face. “Oh I would love that, Harvey”, Melissa answered and took his hands in hers. “This place feels so much more like home with you in it.” They smiled at each other, this all felt so right.

Inside Melissa kicked off her workboots and Harvey brought his bag into Melissa's bedroom. She followed him and asked him, if he was hungry. He wasn't, since had eaten before coming to the farm. “Okay then, please make yourself comfortable. I need to eat something and I'm really due for a shower. Care for a glass of wine?” He accepted, and sat with Melissa at her dining table while she chugged down a sandwich. They drank a glass together, and Melissa poured Harvey another one before she hopped under the shower.

Harvey admired her. Melissa came out of the shower in a short teal nightgown. She looked stunning. She walked to the kitchen and drank a glass of water, leaning against a counter. Harvey felt the need to touch her, so he got up from where he was sitting and walked over to her. Melissa smiled at him with big eyes and his heart felt so full. Her hand found its way into his hair, softly scraping over his scalp. Harvey closed his eyes and just enjoyed this warm feeling. Then he leant down to kiss her, lips softly touching. He parted her lips with his tongue to deepen the kiss. They kissed each other slowly, alternating from swirling their tongues to softly caressing lips. Harvey's hands were firm on Melissa's hips, her hand stayed tangled in his curls, her other still holding the glass of water. Harvey parted first. But only to take the glass from her and put it aside. Then he lifted Melissa up to sit on the countertop, pulled at her legs so she was flush with his hips. She hooked them around him, shooting him a cheeky smile. Harvey loved it.

He started kissing her neck, he really liked doing this, and she always seemed to enjoy the feeling. This time, she even tilted her head to the side, to expose more of her neck to him. He hit a spot and Melissa sighed softly. She started to unbutton his shirt, and he leant back to open the last buttons and pull it off. Then he dipped back in, trailing his tongue over the skin at her neck. He thought about how he imagined this after giving her a massage at the clinic about a year ago and smiled, he would have never anticipated that he would actually be able to do this. And that it was so much better than he could have imagined. She was so much better. He slipped his hands under her nightgown, pushing the fabric up over her hips. Then he hooked his fingers into her slip, to pull it off. Melissa helped him by lifting her hips and releasing him from her legs. He stood back and threw the piece of fabric to the floor. He came back to kiss her again, this time more frantic. Melissa's breath got more shallow every minute. “Bedroom?”, she asked. “No. I want you here”, Harvey said determined. Melissa sighed oh so sweetly. “Then you should get a condom, before it gets too heated”, she chuckled. He went over to his bag and got one, laying it beside her on the countertop. He gave her a really sexy smile, just before pulling her more towards the edge and going down on her. He put her legs on his shoulders and started licking her, very very slow. He remembered the things she liked the last time and went straight to them, but not completely. He ran his tongue up, swirling his tongue over her clit, then down again, pressing just slightly against her entrance. Up again, slowly, just very light pressure at the clitoris. Back down even slower, just a bit pressure.

Melissa sighed, a slight desperate tone to her voice. “Harvey...”

He didn't change anything. “Hnnn.. Faster... Harvey...”

He went even slower. She moaned. “Are you... Harvey are you teasing me?”

He looked up at her while licking up oh so slowly, a wicked smile on his face.

“Oooooh sweet Yoba”, Melissa moaned. Her grip in his hear tightened.

“Harvey... Pleaaaase...”

The pleasure inside Harvey was on a whole other level. He rewarded her pleading with dipping inside of her a bit deeper, and going up just a bit faster. She was cursing under her breath now, and Harvey couldn't get enough. Everytime he repeated his motion he went a bit harder, a bit faster. Melissa was already falling apart. She bucked up her hips every time he put his tongue inside of her now, and he put the pressure just where she liked it.

“Ohhh... Harvey this is so good... Harvey... Hnn...”

He wanted nothing else in his life but her moaning his name, praising him under wrecked breath. But he was so painfully hard now and he thought he would come untouched if this went on. He fumbled open his belt and his slacks and stopped licking her. She whined a bit at the loss of stimulation. But Harvey already pushed his pants and briefs down, and she looked at him hungrily. He rolled the condom over quickly, and lined himself up with her. He pushed inside of her with a long and deep moan. First he pushed back and forth carefully, until Melissa pushed him harder with her legs. He took the hint immediately and started thrusting into her hard. He steadied her with one hand on the small of her back, the other one gripping her thigh. She traced her hand up and down his back, the other one she kept in his hair. Harvey was so pent up from giving her oral, that he knew he wouldn't last long. And he hated it, since he knew she wasn't there yet, even though she was constantly moaning. But the moans were what got him so close. The heat and stimulation on his cock was way to good, but her voice and her being so reactive?

Harvey's breath got wrecked, he grunted every other thrust. Melissa loved the noises he made and what he did to her was just bliss. “Hnnn... Harvey... You feel _so_ good.”

Harvey abruptly stopped his motions, pulling a bit out of her and gripping tight at the base of his cock. Melissa looked at him surprised by the sudden shift, but he had his eyes pressed shut and groaned throatily. He looked so beautiful while he came.

That was definitely too much for him to take, he felt he was on the brink to his orgasm. He gripped the base of his cock tight, to suppress ejaculating. He knew this was biologically possible, but he hadn't tried this before and didn't know if it would work. He felt his orgasm releasing, but he didn't ejaculate.

After a few seconds he opened his eyes again and kissed Melissa open mouthed and lustful. He thrusted inside of her with force, she cried out with pleasure from the unexpected turn. He was moaning again and again.

“Oh my... Harvey... oh, ooohh!” She was getting so close. Her voice pitched and she shouted his name just before her orgasm crashed over her. Harvey kept thrusting into her and came again.

They looked at each other, panting. “Harvey, that was insane. I have never seen somebody do this”, Melissa said breathlessly. “I didn't know if it would work either, I just tried and hoped for the best”, he smiled. “That truly was insane.”

The next morning early rays of sunshine woke Melissa. She smiled when she felt the warmth of Harvey's body by her side. She turned and softly traced over his chest with her hand. He looked so peaceful and content, still fast asleep. She realized, she had everything she wanted, right at that moment. When she came to Pelican, she would never have thought, that after a year she would have created a life with everything she dreamt of and even more.

She was living off of her farm and even thinking about hiring someone and scaling her income. Not only someone, a dear friend of hers. She fell head over heels for the man now laying at her side, that she wanted to spend her entire life with. She felt home, and the future looked bright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Land Of The Living - Roo Panes'
> 
> This wraps up this story T.T  
> I can't believe that's it. Thank you so so much for reading!  
> If you've read the entire thing PLEASE let me know what you think and if you liked it :3
> 
> There might be a part two coming at some point :)


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